


Rerun

by Moonlightsplash



Category: Future GPX Cyber Formula
Genre: AU after SIN, Asuka died, Asurada is the best, Gen, Hayato Kazami is amazing!, Zero is strange
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-31
Updated: 2018-10-31
Packaged: 2019-08-11 13:39:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 40,972
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16476611
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Moonlightsplash/pseuds/Moonlightsplash
Summary: Hayato left Cyber Formula after Asuka died.  Aoi managed to get their drug program approved as well. (Same one used on Phil Fritz)  As a result, Cyber Formula ticket sales collapsed and no one was able to compete with the new Aoi Protocol plan.  Sugo Racing needs their driver back and Cyber Formula needs a legend...





	Rerun

**Author's Note:**

> This story is AU. It's all about Hayato and Asurada. :) It's also not finished but I do have it outlined all the way to the end.
> 
> Ah, Cyber Formula... An anime filled with hot guys and sexy cars and yet, it still has no fans! I love it anyway!
> 
> All right belong to Sunrise, VAP and Bandai here in the US.

Osamu shut off the video with a tap of his finger. Not a single person spoke and he finally sighed. 

“We all know the results. We've gone over them many times now. The winners in Cyber Formula are those that are willing to use the Aoi protocol. It boosts the reaction time of the driver and frankly, we're not keeping up.”

Claire Fortran, the woman who was still their main Designer shook her head. “I'm against drugging anyone though, Osamu. No one can tell us the long term effects of the Aoi Protocol! We all saw what happened to Fritz!” She sighed. “I know that he was their earliest test, but I can't believe that side-effects that severe have just miraculously 'vanished'.”

“I agree, but without considering our options, we might as well just cancel next year's run.” Osamu said grimly. “They came out with their official Protocol two years ago and we haven't even placed. Claytor is a good driver, but he can't keep up with the artificially enhanced Protocol drivers.”

“Umm... Mr. Sugo?” Pei, their Chief Mechanic said, a bit uncertainly. “What about if we ask Hayato to race again? I mean, he was able to defeat Fritz...”

Claire's eyes lit up. “Oh! That's a wonderful idea, Pei! Osamu! I've already got the new driver's suit laid out. If you could get me Hayato's measurements, I could have it customized in less than a day!”

“I could have Asurada loaded into the new body in two days!” Shinsuke Maki cut in quickly. “Faster if I work overnight, too!”

For the first time in far too long, Osamu watched as his Racing Team finally got excited again. All of them were talking all over each other in a rush to assure him that they could all be ready for trials by this weekend. He finally held up a hand.

“Hold up there. I have no idea if I could even convince Hayato to come back to racing. It's been nearly three years now.” Osamu told them. “You all know why he quit the first time.”

He watched them all wilt and slowly nod.

“Now, that's not to say that I can't perhaps drag him in here to help us out a bit, right? Before I need him to commit, I think we first would need to find out if Hayato is still in racing shape and can get anywhere close to the lap times that the Protocol drivers are pulling.” Osamu told them. “He'd have to pass the physical before I can even get him in for testing.”

“Mr. Sugo, I'd be happy to give the physical at any time, day or night!” Dr. Torrin told him. “I used to watch all of Kazami's races! It would be a pleasure to meet him.”

Claire turned her big blue eyes on him and he sighed. “Fine. I'll see if I can convince him to come back. At least for testing right now.”

His team all cheered and pumped their fists in the air, yelling in excitement. Osamu shook his head and held up a hand.

“Hold up everyone!” He waited until quiet fell. “I want all of you to commit to keeping absolutely quiet on this, understood? Until we know if Hayato can do it, no one brings it up.”

“Yes, sir!” They all chorused.

He waved them on. “Go on then. See about getting everything ready for trials by this weekend. Dr. Torrin? As soon as I get Hayato to agree, I'll call you. I'm not planning on giving him time to back out. As soon as he agrees, I'm bringing him straight to you.”

“I'll be ready, Mr. Sugo!”

“Dismissed.” He watched as they all poured out of the room, more excited than he'd seen them in years. He waited until the door shut behind them before grimacing. He had the hardest part though. Somehow, he had to convince Hayato to come back to Cyber Formula. At least for some trials. If all went well, he could always hope that the thrill of speed would help convince Hayato to join back up.

He got up and walked over to his desk, tapping the intercom for his secretary.

“Yes, Mr. Sugo?” Mary answered.

“Have the helicopter prepared. I need to go to Tokyo tonight. I'll need a car waiting as well.”

“Yes, sir!”

“Arrange for the helicopter to wait on me. As soon as my business is done, I will be returning here, hopefully with one passenger.”

“Of course, Mr. Sugo!” She said cheerfully.

“Clear my schedule for this weekend as well. I'll be attending the Trials.”

“Yes, Mr. Sugo!”

“That will be all.” He told her before he sat down in his huge, leather office chair and spun around to look out the windows. His office was one of the best of course. Floor to ceiling windows with a view that overlooked the perfectly manicured grounds of Sugo's Racing Division. They'd always maintained their facilities with only the best of everything and somehow... He had to convince the best driver they'd ever had to come back to them.

Hayato had not only given up racing after Asuka's death, he'd also distanced himself from their family. He'd bought the penthouse in Tokyo where he'd lived with Asuka and even after her death, he'd never returned back to them. Osamu pinched the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger. He didn't want to admit it out loud, but... He'd missed Hayato. He'd missed him terribly. Cyber Formula hadn't been the same without him and well... He hadn't been the same either.

 

Eight pm that evening, he found himself standing in front of Hayato's door. He took one last deep breath to make sure his nerves were steady before he touched the buzzer. It wasn't long before the door swung open and he found himself getting a good look at Hayato for the first time in just over two years. Hayato was dressed like he'd been working out with a towel around his neck and soaked with sweat. His brown eyes got huge though as he stared at him.

“Osamu?” Hayato finally sputtered out and Osamu smiled at him.

“Hello, Hayato. May I come in?”

“Oh! Of course!” Hayato jerked the door open and stepped aside, letting him walk in. 

The first thing he noticed was V-8 and his family. Asuka's dogs... “How has V-8 been anyway?” He asked as he leaned over to pet him.

“He's getting old, but I take all of them on my morning run with me.” Hayato told him. “Can I get you anything?”

“Actually, I came to talk to you, Hayato.” Osamu said. “Could you spare me a few minutes?”

“Sure. Let me go grab a shirt, okay?” He said, rushing off towards the bedroom.

Osamu walked into the living room and sat down on the couch. V-8 seemed happy to sit next to him and lay his head on his knee. The more rambunctious dogs were running around but none got on the furniture. Hayato was back quickly and took the chair across from him.

“You look good, Osamu. Have things been going okay?” Hayato asked him, brushing his wet hair off his forehead.

“Well, that's one of the things I want to talk to you about.” Osamu said. “First things first though. Have you ever thought of moving back home with us?”

Hayato's eyes widened in surprise. “You mean the Sugo Estate?”

Osamu nodded. “Father bought himself a vacation home in Kyoto and is only home rarely. I'm rather tired of rattling around the place by myself.” He patted V-8 on the head. “A lot more room for the dogs, too.”

“I..” Hayato swallowed. “You're serious?”

“Yes.” Osamu told him. “I'm tired of being alone all the damn time, Hayato. I trust you and there are not many I can say that about.”

Osamu held up a hand. “I'm not going to make you commit to it tonight, Hayato. But there's an extension of your college forty minutes from the Estate. How about you come out with the dogs and try it for a few weekends or something, okay?”

“I...” Hayato looked down and fell quiet for a bit before finally nodding. “I'd like to visit, Osamu. If that would be okay?”

“More than, Hayato. It's not been the same without you around.”

Hayato finally smiled at him and Osamu felt the familiar surge of affection. He waved a hand.

“Now, on to business. Have you heard about the Aoi Protocol?”

Hayato frowned but shook his head.

“Remember poor Phil?”

Hayato's breath hissed out. “Someone else is using drugs?”

“Worse. It's been legalized for use on the circuit. It's called the Aoi Protocol and it boosts a driver's reaction times tremendously. We haven't placed in the two years it's been allowed.” Osamu told him.

Hayato looked stunned and Osamu nodded.

“It's grim. We've been working hard to try and come up with better ways to race Hayato, but it's tough. Henri is completely exhausted and is off for the summer. He wouldn't commit to returning, either. He told me that he wants to go back to F-1 racing as he was tired of competing against 'robots' as he called them, so we're currently driverless.”

“Uh...” Hayato said, looking uneasy.

“Uh, is right. I'm desperate, Hayato. I need a driver to run the car trials and Pei and Shinsuke would prefer it was you as they could use the Asurada A.I. for better feedback.”

Hayato ran a hand across his face. “But, Osamu! I haven't driven anything other than my bike in nearly three years! I think you could find someone better.”

“You and I both know that Asurada is only keyed to you, Hayato. And you have a hell of a driving record.” He leaned forward, making sure to keep eye contact. “I am more than willing to let you start slow, okay? It would be better for the new car anyway.”

Hayato looked so lost that Osamu found himself on his feet without thinking about it. He walked over and pulled Hayato up out of the chair and wrapped his arms around him, hugging him tightly. “You're family, Hayato Kazami. I need your help but either way, I still want you to move back home, okay?”

Hayato's hands were clenched in the sides of his shirt and they both were quiet for a few minutes. 

“You... You understand that I haven't raced in a long time, right? I can help Pei and Shinsuke set the car up but I doubt I'd be any good in a race, Osamu.” Hayato murmured.

“I understand. We'll cross that bridge when we get there. If the trials work, I'll arrange for a tutor for you, so you can keep up with your classes while you're out at the track, okay?” Osamu told him. “I can work out whatever problems come up, Hayato.”

He felt Hayato finally nod. “I'll do it. It will be good to see Pei and Shinsuke again.”

“Claire is still working for us as well.”

“Ms. Claire is?” Hayato said. “She's great.”

“I know. That's why I'm keeping her on the payroll.” Osamu said with a grin.

“So when do I need to be out there?” Hayato asked.

“Right now.” Osamu said. “Go pack a bag for a few days. I'll send somebody back for more of your stuff later. Oh, and the things the dogs need.”

“Right now?” Hayato squeaked, pulling away and frowning at him.

“Right now. Got get cleaned up and pack a bag. I'll get the dogs' stuff. Where is it?”

“You're serious.” Hayato said, shaking his head. “Fine. Second cabinet over in the kitchen. Leashes are hanging up by the door.”

Hayato left him and headed to the bedroom again. As soon as Osamu heard the shower kick on, he called Dr. Torrin.

“Mr. Sugo?” Torrin asked, sounding hopeful.

“He's in the shower now, Doctor. I'll have him on the chopper by 9pm.”

“I'll be waiting at the facility then, Mr. Sugo!”

“Call the others for me, would you? Let them know that Hayato has agreed to come back and run the trials for us for now. At least it gives me more time to convince him to stay.” Osamu said.

“Yes, sir!” Dr. Torrin said, sounding delighted. “I'll be looking for you!”

“See you soon then.” Osamu said, hanging up his phone and stuffing it back in his pocket. “Alright, V-8. Let's go find all of your stuff.”

He wound up needing a duffel bag to get all of their toys, food, bones and other stuff. He sat it in the foyer next to the leashes. All of the dogs lined up at the door, eyeing the leashes in excitement. Osamu was shaking his head at their antics when Hayato came out. His hair was still wet, but he was dressed and had a bag slung over his shoulder. A laptop case was underneath the bag.

“I'm ready. Let me shut off the lights and hook up the dogs. Then we can go.” Hayato said.

Osamu was happy to find out that V-8's pack was well behaved and stayed right with Hayato. No pulling, no running, and no barking. Hayato locked up his penthouse and turned to him, looking a bit nervous.

“Lead the way, Osamu.”

Osamu nodded and headed back downstairs. The limo was still waiting, exactly as requested and he let Hayato load the dogs up and then himself before he slid in next to them. A pack of full grown Siberian Huskies took up some space and he found himself pressed up against Hayato on the ride back to the heliport.

Sugo Headquarters was nearly deserted at this time of night, but Osamu couldn't help the amusement that flitted through him as the handful of people there all gaped when they saw Hayato. Hayato was a legend in Cyber Formula, even if he didn't want to believe it. They stepped out onto the roof and the flight crew opened up the doors on the helicopter for them.

“Mr. Sugo! We're ready to go anytime, sir!”

“Good. Go as soon as we're all secured then.” He told them, letting Hayato get the dogs in and secured. Hayato was buckling himself in when the co-pilot leaned in.

“Sir?”

“What is it?” Osamu asked.

“Is that... Is that REALLY Hayato Kazami?” The co-pilot whispered.

Osamu nodded once. “It is.”

The man's eyes widened but Osamu climbed in and buckled up before he could ask any more questions. He had no doubt that word of Hayato's arrival would be all over the Racing Division by lunch tomorrow. The Sugo chopper was all luxury inside and the passenger cabin was much quieter than a normal one. That's why he had the chance to turn a bit to look at Hayato, who was starting to looking uncertain.

“I've missed you.” He said again. “No matter what happens, Hayato... Stay around this time, okay? My life is better when you're in it.”

Hayato looked startled for a moment before he smiled at him. The action brought a familiar warmth back to his brown eyes. “I missed you too, Osamu. Who else would be there to yell at me?”

Osamu couldn't help but grin. “Only when you do something stupid. Which is usually something dangerous.”

Hayato laughed.

“I called ahead and had a room prepared for you at the Estate. Margot and Thomas are thrilled about V-8 and his family. You might find yourself fighting for a chance to see them.”

“So they still work there?”

“They do. I couldn't possibly replace them and I'm dreading the day when they want to retire.” Osamu said. “The Estate is always immaculate, thanks to their hard work.”

“They were always so nice to me...” Hayato said quietly. “It will be good to see them again.”

“Mr. Sugo, we'll be landing at Sugo Racing Division in 6 minutes.” The pilot announced over the intercom. “Make sure everyone is buckled in.”

“Racing Division?” Hayato asked in confusion. “Not the Estate?”

“Not yet, Hayato. Dr. Torrin is waiting on us. He's going to give you your physical tonight so we can get the paperwork submitted to get your Cyber Formula license reinstated. We'll go home afterwards.”

Hayato groaned and wrinkled his nose. “Juuuust great. You didn't tell me that I'd be going through a physical TONIGHT! I usually have to psych myself up for those.”

“I know. I didn't want to give you time to worry about it.” Osamu said. “I'll take the dogs outside while you're with the Doctor.”

Hayato grimaced but they were already coming in for a landing. There were some familiar faces waiting when they climbed out and Hayato was promptly tackled to the ground by Pei and Shinsuke. The dogs all piled on as well, happy to be playing and Osamu had to pull everyone off of Hayato to get him back on his feet.

“You all can talk tomorrow. Tonight, Dr. Torrin is waiting on Hayato.” Osamu said. “Pei, Shinsuki, you two can help me walk the dogs while we wait on Hayato.”

He walked with Hayato the Doctor's office and introduced them before leaving to help with the dogs. The dogs were a factor he hadn't considered, but really... He couldn't have gotten rid of Asuka's dogs either. It was good that Hayato had kept them. He'd just have to make sure there was space for them.

It was almost midnight before he was able to pick Hayato up from the Doctor. Hayato looked ruffled but glad it was over with and he took the leashes from him.

“Everything looks great, Mr. Sugo. Mr. Kazami is in better shape now than he was during his last physical. I'll fill out the paperwork before I leave tonight and have it submitted.”

“Excellent work, Doctor. It's late and I don't want to keep you any longer. Let me know if anything comes up, but otherwise I'll be back in by lunch tomorrow.” Osamu said. “I'm going to make sure Hayato has enough sleep.”

“Good idea, sir. I'll see you then.” Dr. Torrin told him.

Osamu slipped out of his office and found Hayato propped up on the wall, nearly asleep. The dogs were piled around him, sound asleep as well. He smiled and walked over, taking him by the arm.

“Come on, Hayato. Let's go home. You need to sleep in a real bed.” Osamu told him. “I had your stuff already put in the car.”

Hayato just yawned and followed along with him, the dogs looking as asleep as he did. The drive home was nice this time as for the first time in far, far too long, he wasn't alone. He glanced over again, just for reassurance but it was true. Hayato was here.

 

Osamu woke up the next morning to the persistent beeping of his alarm. He groaned under his breath and slammed a hand down on it, shutting it off before he rolled out of bed. It was six am and he was hoping to be able to handle his e-mail and voice mail before they headed in this afternoon. With luck, Hayato would still be asleep. They needed him in top form.

He slid his feet into his house shoes and grabbed his robe, slipping it on and belting it up. He took a couple of steps towards the bathroom when his brain finally recognized what he was hearing. Frowning, he walked over to the balcony and opened the doors to step outside. The air was still cool but he could hear it clearly now. 

“Dogs barking...” He muttered under his breath, his hope that Hayato was still sleeping gone in an instant. 

It was only a minute before the Huskies and Hayato rounded the house at a run. From the looks of them, they were finishing up their run as Hayato was soaked in sweat and all of the dogs were panting hard.

“Hayato! Hayato!”

He watched as Hayato slowed to a stop and the dogs did as well. A huge grin lit up his face and he waved. “Margot! Thomas!”

They all vanished into the house and Osamu smiled, returning to his room to get ready for the day. Looks like he'd need to make sure to call it an early night tonight if he wanted Hayato to catch up on his sleep. It only took a half hour to get cleaned up and dressed. Seeing as it was still too early for breakfast, he stopped in his personal office. He could get a head start on some of his work while he waited until 7:30am. Margot always served breakfast at the same time, so it was easy to plan around it.

At seven fifteen, he made his way downstairs and couldn't help but smile at the sight that greeted him. All eight Huskies were currently sprawled out on the hardwood floor of the hall outside of the kitchen. To the last dog, they were sound asleep. Amused, he pushed the door to the kitchen open and was greeted by the warm smell of breakfast.

“Good morning, Osamu!” Thomas said happily. “Thank you for bringing Hayato back home. Margot and I even missed V-8 and his pack!” 

Osamu took in the scene by the stove. Hayato was apparently trying to wheedle pancakes out of Margot, but she was waving him off. He smiled back at Thomas.

“It's good to have him back, isn't it?”

Thomas nodded quickly. “He's already worn out the dogs for Margot and I. He wants them to be good for us today and he showed me all of the commands they know. I should be able to take care of them without too much work. It'll be good to take care of Ms. Asuka's dogs again.”

Osamu glanced at Hayato, but he didn't seem to notice Thomas' words. “Hayato, give it up. Margot knows what's allowed when you've got to stay in shape for racing. She's not going to give in, not even once.”

Hayato jumped in surprise at his words and spun around, smiling. “Good morning, Osamu!”

“Good morning, Hayato. It doesn't seem as though you slept in like you should have.”

Hayato shrugged. “The dogs and I always go for our run at 5am. Feeling eight sets of eyes on you will wake you right up. Besides, I'm fine. I'm not short on sleep or anything so one day isn't going to mess me up.”

“Here you go, Hayato.” Margot said, setting the plate of scrambled eggs, steak and fruit in front of him. “Osamu? Would you like the same?”

“Yes, please.” He said.

She already had the food cooked, so she was back with his plate quickly. Only then did she fix a plate for herself and Thomas.

“Hey, Osamu? Will there be time for me to run to town tonight? I need to pick up more dog food and an extra set of dog beds for here. I don't want any of the pack to get it in their minds that they should sleep on my bed instead.” Hayato said with a frown. “They're pushy.”

“How about I just arrange for the movers to pack up your place and bring it here, Hayato? You're going to need your clothes and things as I expect we're going to spend all summer working on the new car.”

Hayato's brow furrowed but he finally nodded. “It'll be strange living here again, but yeah. Why not? You're the one that invited me, so now you have to deal with not only me but the pack of dogs, too. I still can't believe that Asuka kept ALL of them!” 

“I can go to town and pick up the food for them, Hayato.” Thomas said. “Are you still feeding them the same brand that Asuka did?”

“Yeah.”

“Use the house card, Thomas.” Osamu told him. “With eight of them, I'd imagine it's going to take a lot of dog food.”

“Sure thing, Osamu.” Thomas said.

“Hey, I can pay for them!” Hayato cut in. “They're my responsibility.”

“They're OUR responsibility now, Hayato. You're family and the dogs belonged to my sister. You're going to be busy enough this summer. Let Thomas handle some of their care.” He looked over at Thomas. “I'd imagine that he doesn't want to take over the morning run with them.”

“No, sir!” Thomas said, laughing. “No way! You ran fifteen miles this morning, Hayato! It would kill me!”

“Hey, it takes that long to finally wear them out! The dogs are bundles of energy and I need them tired so that they'll sleep the day away and not destroy everything while I'm gone.” Hayato said, shrugging.

“Well, here they still have a big yard to run in so hopefully they won't be so wound up when you get home.” Margot told him. “What time are you planning to be home this evening, Osamu?”

“We should be home by six. Today is just test fitting Hayato's driving suit and letting the I.T. Guys make sure that all of the sensor network is running properly. Shinsuki won't have Asurada completely loaded until tomorrow.” He said before finishing up his breakfast. “We're not leaving until 11am today, Hayato. Take a nap if you can. I'm going to work on some of my endless e-mail and voice mails.”

Hayato nodded. “Breakfast was great as usual, Margot!”

She beamed at Hayato and patted his hand. “Thank you! I'll make sure to pack you both something for lunch.”

Osamu followed Hayato over to the sink and sat his plate down next to Hayato. “Come on. I'm serious about you needing to rest up.”

Hayato's presence in the hall brought all the dogs to their feet and Osamu walked with him back to his bedroom. Hayato opened the door to his room and V-8 led the pack inside.

“Hey, Osamu? I don't remember being on a strict diet before.” Hayato asked him, sounding uncertain. “What's up?”

Osamu grimaced. “I told you about the Protocol drivers, Hayato. In order for you to be able to push our car hard enough to give us good feedback, you're not going to have to be in great shape. You're going to have to be in SUPERB shape. I expect that the Medical staff is going to change your diet even more once we start working.”

Hayato's nose wrinkled in disgust and Osamu couldn't help but smile at bit at him. 

“It won't be bad, Hayato. It's going to be more in that we'll be trying to maximize your nutrition.”

“I hate diets.” Hayato grumbled.

Osamu ruffled his hair with a hand. “You don't need to lose weight, Hayato. What you need is the perfect balance of nutrition. Think of it that way.”

“No pancakes...” Hayato moaned as he yawned and shoved the door on open. “I need to be ready by 11am?”

“Yes.”

“Alright. I'll set an alarm so I have time to take the dogs out again.”

“Get as much sleep as you can, Hayato. I've had the gym here upgraded for my own use, so tonight, we can both get our gym time in.” Osamu told him. “I usually run on a treadmill in the morning as well and work out at night. No time during the day.”

“Oooh... Home gym!” Hayato said, sounding more cheerful. “I like it. See you in a bit, Osamu!”

“Have a good nap, Hayato.” Osamu said, turning towards his office as he heard the door click shut behind him. There was a lot to get done.

 

By one in the afternoon, he'd gotten both of them into the office and they'd had lunch in the breakroom with the rest of the team. He'd turned Hayato over to Claire and Dr. Torrin to get his driving suit fitted. The newest ones were a compression suit, rather like fighter pilots wore. It helped prevent acceleration blindness when in high-G maneuvers. It was vital that it fit perfectly.

Now though, there was nothing else to do but go to work. By four pm, he'd held two brief meetings with the F-1 team, fielded 8 conference calls and answered 29 e-mails. He was still surprised when his secretary buzzed him.

“Mr. Sugo? Director Vance of the Cyber Formula Racing Association is on Line 1. Would you like me to put him through?” Mary asked him.

“Please. Main screen.” Osamu told her. He turned to face the large screen and it came on. Director Vance had been the Director of the CFRA for twenty years now. His hair was going gray but he still had the build of someone who worked for a living. His suit was high end and the office he was in was top of the line. Osamu tipped his head. “Director Vance.”

Vance leaned forward, looking eager. “Let's cut straight to it, Sugo. Please, please, PLEASE tell me that my intel is true and you've got Hayato Kazami locked in to race this year. PLEASE!”

Osamu's eyebrows shot up. “I only spoke to him last night.”

Vance waved a hand. “The paperwork to reinstate his license was pushed through first thing and I heard about it as soon as the first person saw the name! So? Is it true?”

“At the moment, I've only convinced him to come back and help us get our car set up. Claytor went back to F-1 and left our CF team driverless.” Osamu told him. “Why all the drama though? We have no plans on running the Aoi Protocol. No drugging here.”

Vance leaned back and pointed a finger at him. “That's why. I was overruled on the damn Protocol. I'm pretty sure that Aoi bribed the hell out of the rest of the Board. They knew better than to even try with me.” Vance heaved a sigh and shook his head. “What no one knows is that attendance has fallen by 53% since the Protocol took effect. Turns out that no one wants to see a bunch of druggies driving. Racing has always been about pushing the edge and seeing just how good a human can be. Once the rules changed and it was no longer about seeing how good the drivers can be, but instead, who has the best damn drugs... Well, turns out I was right. No one wants to watch that shit.”

“Fifty-three percent?” Osamu asked in shock. “That's not sustainable.”

“Tell me about it. Kazami is one of the best damn drivers I've ever seen and the only one that was able to beat Aoi's first Protocol driver. We all remember that they kidnapped the kid, just to try and keep him from racing.” Vance leaned forward again. “You've got to convince Kazami to drive, Sugo! I'm willing to go all out with the publicity and push your team if you do. I need butts in the seats, dammit! I think Kazami can do it.”

Osamu had to struggle to suppress his shock. He had NEVER expected to get support from Director Vance! 

“I've got all summer to work on it, Director. First thing to do though, is get him back in the swing of it and see if he can pull the kinds of lap times we'll need to be competitive.”

Vance nodded. “I'd like to be there, Sugo. I'm willing to sign an NDA, but I'm damn serious about pushing Kazami and the Sugo team hard. The kid had a huge following and they'll surely come back if we can get him to race.” Vance slammed his fist down on his desk. “He doesn't even have to win! If he could place every now and then, I think that would be enough.”

Osamu couldn't help but chuckle. “You don't know us very well if you think we'll be satisfied with only placing every now and then.”

“You call me just as soon as you start to run some serious trials, Sugo. As soon as I know you can be competitive, I'm on it.” Vance said. “I've worked too hard and too long on Cyber Formula to see it trashed by corrupt officials.”

“Yes, sir.” Osamu said. “I'll make sure you have the date and time.”

Vance suddenly smiled at him, his eyes crinkling. “I'll be waiting. Impatiently. Good day, Sugo.”

“Good day, Director.”

The vid screen cut off and Osamu leaned back in his chair as he stared up at the ceiling. A fifty-three percent drop in attendance was a disaster. No wonder Vance wanted this as badly as he did. He needed a superstar to bring back the crowds. Osamu gave himself a mental shake. One step at a time.

By five, he'd finished up his last call and told Mary he was out for the day. He gathered up his phone and jacket, stuffing his keys in his pocket before he headed down to the garage. Claire had told him that they would have Hayato there by five. He walked into the garage and it was easy to spot him. Hayato was crouched down next to the car, talking to Asurada while the team all gathered up, listening in.

Amused, he simply walked up to the edge of the crowd. “What did I miss?”

“Asurada said...” Shinsuke said. “Asurada started talking again! And-and-and he said that he MISSED Hayato! He's quite insistent that he not be left again.”

Startled, Osamu turned to look at the A.I. Hayato had his hand resting on the dash unit, which was where the main camera mount was.

“I'm here now, Asurada. How about we do some driving and help out our old team mates? They need to get the latest car ready to race and they don't have a driver.” Hayato said. “They wanted you as you can give them quite specific feedback, which meant that they needed to drag me out of retirement old friend. Do you mind?”

Asurada swiveled the main mount, scanning the crowd. “I recognize Pei and Shinsuke. I also see Osamu. Where is everyone else?”

“Oh! Well, everyone else has moved on to different jobs, Asurada.” Pei said. “You want me to introduce you to everybody? You're famous! They all want to talk to you.”

“I simply wish not to be alone anymore. Hayato? May I connect to your cell phone?”

“Heh? My phone?” Hayato asked in confusion.

“Yes. I would very much like to monitor you. Ms. Claire has told me about the rather extensive health plan that they've put in place for you. I can track it but more importantly, I'd like to stay with you. You are my only partner and the isolation is... stressful.” Asurada said.

Shinsuke was gaping at Asurada's words and Osamu had to admit that he felt the same. Asurada sounded like no AI he'd ever heard of. Hayato just shrugged and pulled out his phone.

“Sure. Go ahead. We can chat then, no matter where we are.”

Hayato's phone beeped. 

“Thank you, Hayato. Now, I would say that it's time for you to go. You've got to do your evening workout and get dinner in as well. Are you still tending to V-8 and his pack?”

Hayato grinned and patted the main mount. “I am. And you're bossy, partner.”

“It's my job to keep you safe, Hayato.” The main mount swiveled and turned in his direction. “Osamu Sugo, thank you for thinking of my partner. Make sure he eats tonight as well. He can be stubborn.”

“I'M stubborn?” Hayato nearly yelled, waving his arms. “That's the pot calling the kettle black, Asurada!”

“He's right, Hayato. We need to go if we're going to get everything done in time. No more missing sleep.” Osamu told him. “That goes for the rest of you as well.”

“We're almost done, boss!” Pei told him. “Another half hour and we'll be ready to move to the track tomorrow.”

“Good. Don't stay too late. I need everyone in top shape.”

“You got it, boss!” Came back a chorus of voices.

Osamu put his hand on Hayato's shoulder and steered him towards the parking garage. He could hear Shinsuke starting introductions for Asurada. Hayato seemed content though and neither one spoke on the walk to the car. Osamu had them out on the road home before he finally broke the silence.

“How'd your day go?” He asked.

Hayato grimaced. “The doctors turned out to be vampires! The suit fitting went fine, but I wound up on the treadmill and hooked up to like... every medical device known to humankind. And then they'd stop once an hour and take a vial of blood!”

Osamu smiled at him. “They've got to figure out how to best support you during a race. I remember exactly how hard it was on you to use the Zero Zone, Hayato. To be competitive, you're going to have to use it again which means I don't want you collapsing afterwards.”

“Oh... That makes sense.” Hayato said. “And your day? Everyone says you're stuck in the office most of the time.”

He nodded. “I am. One of the trials of running a business. I wound up on conference calls or in meetings most of the day.”

The silence that fell then was comfortable instead of awkward and he was soon turning into the driveway of the Estate. He parked the car in the garage and they climbed out. 

“Go get changed for your workout and I'll meet you up there. I need to show you where the gym is. I've got to get changed as well.” Osamu told him.

“Deal.” Hayato said, before jogging off.

Osamu detoured through the kitchen to find Margot. She beamed at him and kissed him on the cheek. “You're home! Hayato is here, too?”

“He is. He's upstairs changing. We're both going to hit the gym before dinner, Margot. Can you hold it for an hour?”

She nodded. “Of course I can! I'm used to your unusual hours.”

“Thank you. We should be ready to eat by 7pm.”

“Not a problem, dear! Now go! You've got to get Hayato ready to drive!”

He nodded. “I think he's already in great shape, Margot. He's just got to get even better now. We want to win.” He waved once more before slipping out and heading upstairs to change. It would be nice to actually have someone to work out with as well...

 

Osamu sighed as he studied the track times. They'd been out here for a week now and working steadily. Unfortunately, the track times didn't reflect their dedication. They'd only gained 0.8 seconds from the start of the week. Dr. Torrin had been recording Hayato's suit data faithfully, but nothing unusual had shown up. He pinched the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger as he thought about it.

Hayato hadn't raced in years, so he'd already planned on the longer warm up. He'd still expected to see more improvement. He could see that Pei and Shinsuke were also starting to look discouraged. 

“Hayato? Bring it in please.” He finally called out. There was something here he was missing, dammit!

It wasn't long before the gleaming body of the latest Super Asurada powered into the Pit and stopped. The canopy slid back and Hayato bounced out. That was another thing. He'd SEEN Hayato after he'd raced using the Zero Zone. It exhausted him! Nothing they'd done so far had seemed to even impact Hayato and he finished the day just as alert as he started. He gestured.

“Walk with me, Hayato.”

“Sure thing, Osamu.” Hayato said cheerfully, pulling his helmet off and tucking it under his arm. Osamu walked them a good ways off and under the shade of an awning before he stopped.

“How'd the car run?” Osamu finally asked.

Hayato shrugged. “Same as always.”

Osamu's mind whirled over those words, because there was something there... It finally came to him. “Same as always? How is 'always' then?”

“It loses traction in the corners something fierce. Doesn't matter if it's a left or right turn either.” Hayato told him. “No way can I step on it without losing it.”

Osamu blinked as he suddenly had more information than he'd had all week. “And you told Pei?”

Hayato nodded. “He said that the car is set up to match the specs on the Protocol cars and he wasn't allowed to change it. Something about a decision from design.”

Osamu grabbed Hayato's arm and started towing him back to the car as he grabbed his phone and called Claire. It took seventeen minutes to get Design to understand that they were NOT running a Protocol car and he wanted the car set up to suit Hayato. Claire's team and Pei's team put their heads together and two hours later, the Super Asurada had its suspension entirely reset.

“Ready to go, boss!” Pei said, beaming happily. “Hayato, tell me what's wrong and I'll fix it. I've got approval now!”

“Will do, Pei!” Hayato said, pulling his helmet back on and climbing back into the Super Asurada. Osamu leaned over the car.

“Hayato, I want one complete circuit at moderate speed. Only then – if the car is performing as you want it to – do I want you to call back to me and let me know if you're going to try for race speed or you need to bring it back in.”

“Got it, boss.” Hayato said, buckling himself in. “Ready, Asurada?”

“Of course. It will be nice to actually get up to speed. I want to see how the new Boost system performs.”

“We'll have you live on the monitors and on the comm, okay?” Osamu asked. “Stay safe.”

Hayato gave him a thumbs up and he stepped back as the canopy slid closed. Just like that, the car roared to life. He could already feel the difference in the energy of his team. An entire week wasted for pretty much nothing. He sighed as Hayato drove out of the Pit and onto the track. This time, he kept careful watch on the corners, trying to see if he was having any issues.

“Hey, Pei! She's handling great!” Hayato finally called back. “Boss, if it's okay, Asurada and I are going to go up to race speed and see how it goes.”

“Permission granted, Hayato.” Osamu told him. “Push it.”

The Asurada flew by the indicator line and he heard Hayato shift gears as the Asurada suddenly jumped forward. Shinsuke whistled.

“He wasn't pushing it yet and beat his best time so far by 1.7 seconds.”

Osamu listened to the crew talk as he focused on the monitor. Asurada was background noise as he called out track and car conditions.

“Oh! There it goes!” Dr. Torrin suddenly called out. “The activity just went off the chart!”

Osamu couldn't stop himself from smiling as the Asurada kept getting faster. They were coming up on the Elgin bank where Hayato would be able to test the Boost system and he kept a close eye on the information scrolling along the bottom that listed the car's stats. Even from as far away as they were, they all could hear the low rumble of power as Hayato turned on the Boost and the speed indicator climbed steadily.

It topped out at 843 km/h by the time Hayato shut the Boost off and had to brake to make the sharper exit turn. The crew all cheered as Hayato drifted the car instead, using inertia to change his heading and power through the second turn, already back on the accelerator.

“How are you doing, Hayato?” He asked over the comm.

“Fine.” Hayato said after a moment. His voice had that almost flat sound to it that he remembered so well. 

Hayato was in Zero right now. “Are you getting the data okay, Doctor?” He asked.

“It's coming in perfectly, Mr. Sugo! Although if this is the level of brain activity that's required for this 'zero zone', it's no wonder why Kazami was exhausted after every race. I cannot imagine the physical stress of four plus hours of intense concentration! We're going to have to figure out some kind of supplements we can give him during Pit stops. He'll collapse otherwise.”

The Asurada was getting louder and louder now as it came back. 

“Hayato, take it around again. Let's give it five laps for now and see how everything shakes out. Then I want you to Pit so that Pei can look the car over and Dr. Torrin can check you over.”

“...Okay.” Hayato said just as the Asurada blew by them in a blazing gleam of color.

“WHOO-HOO!” Pei shrieked. “HE DID IT!”

“He beat the track record by 4.3 seconds!” Shinsuke told him, his eyes shining. “FOUR POINT THREE SECONDS! On his first full speed run!”

Osamu had to smile as the team all cheered and pounded each other on the back. The next five runs went by way too quickly and Hayato bettered his time on each run. That last lap was as close to flawless as he thought it could be driven and Hayato finished up at 6.2 seconds under the track record. The Asurada pulled in and parked and the difference in the energy was remarkable.

He was there as soon as the canopy opened up, resting his hand on Hayato's shoulder. “How are you?”

Hayato slowly let go of the wheel and flexed his hands before unbuckling himself. He stood up and climbed out, only staggering a second before catching his balance. Hayato pulled his helmet off and Osamu could see the distant look in his eyes that he'd gotten familiar with before.

“Are you okay?” He asked again.

This time, Hayato nodded and smiled at him. “Yeah. It always just takes a minute to make myself think normally again.”

“And you're back to normal now?”

Hayato nodded.

“Good. Dr. Torrin and his crew are waiting on you in the Med truck. You're going to get looked over completely while they go over all the data they got from your run.” Osamu told him. “Come on. They're waiting.”

Osamu dropped Hayato off with the Doctors before heading back to Pei and the Asurada. The Asurada was rattling off a long list of items that it wanted changed on the car and Pei was quickly writing all of them down. It took another ninety minutes to get everything done. Hayato finally came out of the Med truck, followed by a line of Doctors. He was still in his driving suit and carrying his helmet.

“Dr. Torrin? How is he?”

Torrin hurried over to him. “I'm going to have you a report issued by the end of the day, sir. But basically, the physical strain is immense, so we're already going in the right direction with the physical program. Now, I've sent word back to the lab that I want some prototype supplements made up for tomorrow. I'm going to have him try each of them out and record the results from each one. I'd like to run tomorrow in ten lap sections with Kazami trialing a different supplement each time he stops. We need some data on how quickly he can metabolize some basic sugars to give his brain the energy he burns through.”

“You'll have a plan ready tonight, you said?”

“Yes, sir!” Dr. Torrin said cheerfully. “We'll also continue to record all suit data and see if any of the supplements help Kazami stay focused more easily. He told me that it's much easier to drop out of Zero by the end of the race as he's so tired.”

“That should work with Pei as well.” Osamu said. “Good work.”

He turned back around. “Hayato? Ready to try out the mods?”

“Sure thing.” Hayato said, pulling his helmet on. “Asurada, you ready?”

“I am at 100%, Hayato. I think with the changes we discussed, we can improve our time by 1.9 seconds.”

Osamu made them all shut it down by 5pm. Hayato had been in Zero for a cumulative time of over an hour today. He didn't want him completely exhausted as tomorrow would be when the doctors start working on a long term aid for him. He sent someone for a golf cart so that he could drive Hayato back to the parking lot. Currently, Hayato was leaning against the wall, looking to be sound asleep.

“Hey, boss?” Pei asked him quietly, looking worried. “Why is Hayato so tired now?”

“It's the Zero Zone, Pei.”

“Yeah, but he used it before and would only get this tired after a race!” Pei said. “Is something wrong?”

Osamu shook his head. “He didn't stay in Zero for the entire race. It was too hard on him physically. He would pick it up and use it to help pass other cars and again on the last few laps. He probably spent more time in Zero today than he did in most of his races and it was only because I asked him to. Tomorrow will be worse. He'll be spending most of the day in Zero as the Doctors need the data. We'll have to take a few days off for him to recover after tomorrow.”

Pei nodded. “But they think they can help him?”

“Yes. Zero forces his brain activity to go off the chart and he burns through his energy at a terrific rate. They're going to be figuring out what we can give him during Pit stops to help combat the effects of such a massive drain. If we're going to win, Hayato will need to stay in Zero for most of the race.”

Pei's face cleared in understanding. “And right now, it would probably kill him to do it, wouldn't it?”

“Exactly. We've got all summer to work on it though. I'm hoping that by August, we can move to Fujioka Circuit. It will be a good chance to let the Asurada really get up to speed.”

“We'll be ready, boss! Let us know if we can do anything to help Hayato, okay?”

“Will do.” Osamu told him. “Excellent work on the car today. Make sure it's ready for a long day tomorrow.”

Pei grinned at him. “Always!”

The golf cart finally arrived and Osamu arranged for someone to come and pick it up. He'd need it for tomorrow as well. He walked over to Hayato who was still leaning against the wall, his helmet clutched in one hand. How he'd managed not to drop it while standing up and sleeping would be one of life's mysteries. He leaned over and pulled the helmet from Hayato's hand before laying a hand on his shoulder and giving him a gentle shake.

“Hayato.”

Hayato's nose wrinkled before he jerked awake, his hand clutching desperately at a helmet that was no longer in it. Dazed brown eyes finally met his as Hayato woke up a bit.

“Osamu...?”

He nodded. “I've had a golf cart brought around. Come on. I'm driving us out to the parking lot.”

Hayato blinked blearily before finally frowning. “I can walk!”

“I know you can. I just don't think you should right now. You've still got to get through your workout tonight. Save your energy.”

Hayato groaned and rubbed his eyes, finally spotting his helmet in Osamu's hand.

“I dropped it, didn't I?”

“Nope. Somehow you managed to hang onto it, even sleeping. Quite impressive.” Osamu told him as he pulled him away from the wall and steered him towards the golf cart. “I'll stop us by the locker room so you can change first.”

Hayato yawned and nodded, climbing into the golf cart. Osamu sat his helmet in his lap.

“Mr. Sugo! Mr. Sugo!”

Osamu turned to see Dr. Torrin come trotting up. He was holding a glass with a straw in it that was filled with some kind of colorful drink. Dr. Torrin smiled at his look.

“It's a fruit smoothie. The simple sugars should help boost his energy level for now and we will hopefully have something better for him tomorrow.”

“Hayato.” Osamu said.

Hayato grimaced but held out his hand and Dr. Torrin handed him the smoothie.

“Drink all of it, Hayato. You need the calories.”

Hayato chugged half of it before stopping and making a face. Osamu raised an eyebrow at him and dropped his gaze to the glass and back up to his face. Hayato sighed and chugged the rest of it before handing the glass back to Dr. Torrin.

“Thank you.”

“Let me know if it works as I'm hoping, okay? You should start to feel more awake within a couple of minutes.” Dr. Torrin told him. “I'll have that report e-mailed to you within the hour, Mr. Sugo.”

“Good work today, Dr. Torrin.” Osamu told him. “Let's go get you changed and head to the gym, Hayato.”

 

Dr. Torrin met him outside of the locker room the next morning, looking anxious. “How is he?”

“He seems fine. That smoothie did help him wake up and he got through his work out without any trouble.” Osamu told him. “Are you ready for today?”

“Yes, sir. The lab worked all night, but have sixteen different variations for our supplements. We're still doing ten laps for each one right? And we'll get Kazami in between runs to check out?”

“That's right.” Osamu said. “This is probably the most critical point of our whole Cyber Formula team. We've got to be able to keep our driver in top condition throughout the entire race.”

“Yes, sir.”

“I'm going to send him out for ten laps just to warm up before you give him the first one.”

Dr. Torrin nodded. “Excellent idea. We want to see how quickly he can metabolize the different sugars needed, so it's best if we start out with Kazami already working.”

Osamu heard the door open and close behind him and looked over his shoulder to see Hayato walking towards him. He was dressed in his suit and holding his helmet under his arm. Hayato waved.

“Good morning, Doc.”

“Kazami! I'm glad to see that you look well this morning.” Dr. Torrin said. “How did last night go?”

“That nasty tasting thing I had to drink yesterday really helped. Got through my workout last night and my run this morning without any trouble.” Hayato told him.

“You're still riding out to the Pit area.” Osamu told him flatly. “You are welcome to ride with us, Doctor.”

Dr. Torrin smiled and nodded. “Thank you.”

The medical team mobbed them the moment that he stopped the golf cart and he lost Hayato to them as they set to work taking more base line readings. He walked over to the Asurada instead, nodding politely to Pei and Shinsuke. None of the rest of the team would speak to him much. He was used to being the 'dreaded' boss, so it didn't bother him like it used to. Pei and Shinsuke, and Hayato as well, were all there in the early days. None of them had a problem with talking to him.

“Good morning, Osamu.” Asurada said, swiveling the main mount to focus on him. “Is Hayato well this morning?”

“He is, Asurada. That fruit smoothie thing perked him right up and he didn't have any trouble following his daily routine. Hopefully today will give us some better ideas for longer lasting solutions.”

“Indeed. I have been reviewing the Protocol races for the last two years. Hayato will need to stay in Zero for approximately 94% of the race in order to compete.” Asurada told him.

“I know. We've got to come up with a way to make that happen.” Osamu said. “How are you? Ready to run?”

“Of course! Pei told me that today will be done in ten lap sets, so that the doctors can trial out different supplements for Hayato.”

“That's right. If we can crack it, we'll transfer to Fujioka for faster runs by August.”

Asurada swiveled the main mount more and Osamu followed its movement to see that Asurada was watching Hayato. “Have you told Hayato yet that he's going to be the driver this year?”

Osamu raised an eyebrow. “Someone told you?”

The main mount swiveled back in his direction. “Unnecessary. You are going to a lot of trouble and expense to get Hayato ready to compete at Protocol levels. You would not do that if you were planning to replace him.”

Osamu felt a smile tugging at the corner of his lips and he nodded his head. “Good deduction. Please don't tell Hayato yet. I really need both of you to race.”

“I'm quite sure that Hayato will figure it out as soon as he gets a moment, Osamu. He has rediscovered his love for racing. I don't think it will be a problem.” Asurada told him. “He apologized for leaving me behind.”

Osamu walked over and patted the main mount. “I missed both of you.”

“Osamu? Can I ask you a question?” Asurada asked, sounding hesitant.

“Of course.”

“The equipment that you're using to monitor Hayato's brain activity... Does it pick up on Theta long waves?”

“I... Have no idea. Would you like me to ask?”

“If it's not too much trouble...?”

“Give me a moment.” Osamu said, walking over to the Doctors. He gestured to Doctor Torrin who slipped out of the mob with a questioning look.

“Yes, sir?”

“Can you tell me if the equipment that you're using to monitor Hayato's brain waves picks up on Theta long waves?” Osamu asked. “Asurada would like to know.”

Dr. Torrin's eyes widened. “Asurada would?”

Osamu nodded.

“Umm... It can if we recalibrate it.” Dr. Torrin said. “Why?”

“How about we ask Asurada?” Osamu asked.

The two of them walked over to where Asurada was waiting. 

“He said it can if they recalibrate it, Asurada.” Osamu told him.

“Why do you need to know?” Dr. Torrin asked.

The main mount swiveled between the two of them before stopping. “I had to browse the internet to find the appropriate wording for this, but... When Hayato is in Zero, you have already noticed that his brain activity is much, much higher than usual, correct?”

“That's right.” Dr. Torrin said.

“It's because Hayato is able to speak to me... without words. Rather like using the comm but only the two of us can hear it. I would imagine that the activity is related to his processing the information and our constant communication.” Asurada said. “It occurred to me that you might be able to intercept the communication with a bit of work. Hayato has always asked me to continue to speak out loud so that the crew will know what's going on. If you can intercept our private comm, so to speak, you'll know much faster than listening to vocal cues.”

Osamu knew his eyes were wide and Dr. Torrin looked stunned. The Doctor finally swallowed hard before speaking.

“You... You and Hayato are communicating beyond the verbal?”

“We are.” Asurada told them. “In Zero, Hayato sees possibilities and we are able to choose the one most likely to happen. It saved us in a lot of races. Sometimes we choose the wrong one though. Hayato is a good enough driver to keep us out of trouble even then.”

Osamu turned to look at Dr. Torrin. “How long would it take you to recalibrate?”

Dr. Torrin rubbed his forehead. “Can I borrow Shinsuke?”

“Yes.”

“Give me an hour then.”

“Done.” Osamu said, waving a hand. “Shinsuke! I need you to work on a project with Dr. Torrin! Urgent!”

Shinsuke looked up from his laptop in confusion but nodded. Dr. Torrin hurried over to him.

“What's up?” Hayato asked as he walked up. “I finally got free of the medical team! Yay, me!”

Osamu turned to smile at him. “Asurada just told us how the two of you have been talking without words. We're recalibrating to try and intercept that communication.”

Hayato winced. “Asurada!”

“You are NOT a freak because you can do that, Hayato! It's more than likely something that anyone who trained hard in Zero could learn. If they can intercept, we could get advice from the crew much faster. Seconds count at the speeds we race at.” Asurada said chidingly. 

“A freak?” Osamu said, ruffling Hayato's hair and making him duck out of the way. “You are as far from a freak as you can get Hayato. You worked damn hard to learn how to handle Zero and as far as I know, you're the only one that can enter it any time you need to. Even Kaga couldn't hold it very long and he told me that he hated it.”

Hayato crouched down and laid his hand on the canopy of the Asurada. “I just hate to lose. Everyone works so hard to get ready for a race and then if I don't win or place...”

Osamu laid his hand on Hayato's shoulder and squeezed. “You're brilliant, Hayato. Never forget it. Oh, and have I ever hesitated to let you know if you screwed up?”

Hayato winced but shook his head. “No.”

“Good. Then you shouldn't have any trouble understanding that it's my personal opinion that you might be the most talented Cyber Formula driver in the history of the sport.”

“That's why you're doing all of this, isn't it?” Hayato asked him. “You want to compete against the Protocol drivers and need Zero to do it.”

“I don't need Zero, Hayato. I need you. And Asurada. You come equipped with Zero sure, but it all comes down to your driving skill. That's what I need.” Osamu crouched down next to him and met his eyes. “I want someone that hates to lose as much as I do to drive our car.”

Hayato hummed thoughtfully as he looked at him. “You're not planning on hiring another driver, are you?”

“Nope.”

“Asurada? You want to race this year?” Hayato asked, still staring at him.

“I do. I want to race with you, Hayato! You're my partner!” Asurada told him.

Hayato's brown eyes never moved from his. “I think you're crazy to put this much effort into someone that hasn't raced in years, Osamu.”

“Crazy? You, the man that hasn't raced in years, beat the track record here by 8.1 seconds. Granted, some of it is that the new car is faster, but the rest is all you and the Asurada, Hayato. I think you're going to be able to prove to the world that there's no need to drug the drivers in Cyber Formula. Racing should always be about skill, not about artificial enhancements.” Osamu told him quietly.

Hayato finally sighed and looked over at the Asurada. “I'll do it, Osamu. Because it's for you. Asurada, I'm counting on you.”

“You can, Hayato. I'll do everything I can to support us!” Asurada told him.

“Now, how about you go sit down under the canopy? We're just shy of an hour away from starting.” 

“Will do.” Hayato said, standing up.

Osamu watched him walk off and stood up as well. He headed to the group all hard at work on the Medical Team's equipment. Just as predicted, by 9am, they had the equipment all set up, although none of them were sure as to how they could possibly interpret it. Shinsuke finally said he'd ask the Asurada once they finished up today.

“Hayato!” Osamu called out. “We're ready!”

Hayato walked over, pulling on his gloves and helmet.

“Ten laps. I want you in Zero asap, as we're going to give you the first test supplement when you come back.” Osamu told him.

“Let me know how the car handles, Hayato!” Pei added. “We'll have time in between runs to do minor adjustments.”

“Will do.” Hayato said, climbing into the Asurada. He flipped his face shield down and buckled in before sliding the canopy into place and locking it. Osamu backed up next to the others as Hayato started the Asurada with a roar of noise. The team all ran over to their monitoring station as Hayato took the Asurada out onto the track.

“He's in Zero!” Dr. Torrin called out almost immediately. “Asurada was right. Theta waves are off the chart.”

“Record everything, Doctor.”

“Yes, sir!”

Today was already running smoother than yesterday. Hayato was running a consistent 8 seconds faster than the track record and was pulling back into the Pit just under twenty minutes later. He parked and shut off the Asurada. The Medical team was on him just as soon as he opened the canopy and Osamu made sure to stay out of the way while they worked. It only took them ten minutes to finish and they gave Hayato the first drink to trial. 

As soon as they were out of the way, Pei was there and asking if they wanted anything changed.

“We're fine, Pei.” Hayato said. “Asurada is monitoring the suspension so if anything comes up, you'll know about it right away.”

“Thanks, Hayato! Asurada!” Pei said before backing up. “See you in a few!”

Hayato nodded and closed the canopy again before starting the Asurada. The rest of their morning went just like that and Osamu could see Hayato was wearing down. By the time they broke for lunch, Hayato had been in Zero for a cumulative time of three hours and 13 minutes. Hayato pulled in and parked, but didn't open the canopy right away.

Alarm flooded through him and he managed to beat the Doctors there, getting Asurada to open the canopy automatically.

“Hayato?” He asked, pulling off his helmet.

Dr. Torrin leaned over from the other side. “Look at me, Kazami.”

Osamu waited while the Doc ran Hayato through some basic tests. Dr. Torrin finally nodded before he stepped back. 

“He's exhausted. Nothing we've tried so far has made any impact on it either. Can we take a two hour lunch, sir? I want the lab to change the rest of our supplements so that they range from 3 to 6 times stronger than they are right now. We have seriously underestimated what it's going to take to give Hayato the energy he needs. I can have them ready by 3pm.”

“Do it. I think Hayato could use the time to rest anyway.” Osamu told him. “This is what we're here for.”

Dr. Torrin nodded and pulled out his phone as he hurried off. Osamu leaned over and unbuckled Hayato, before helping him stand up. 

“Come on. Get out of the car and we'll go over to the shade. Lunch is already here and you need to rest.”

Hayato was damn near a limp noodle and he had to help him walk over to the table set up for them to eat at. The fruit smoothie had done Hayato some good last night, so he'd requested one for lunch today for him. Lunch was only some high-protein, easily digestible food and not nearly as much as Hayato would have on a normal day. High speed racing and a full stomach never went well together. He did make sure that Hayato finished the fruit smoothie though. As soon as Hayato did, he crossed his arms on the table, laid his head down and was asleep, just like that.

It was worrying and there wasn't a damn thing he could do about it. This was all up to the doctors to figure out. Pei and Shinsuke both sat down at their table and Osamu spent his time answering their questions while Hayato slept. Both of them kept casting worried looks at Hayato. Time flew by though and Hayato never even twitched. Osamu had to wake him up at fifteen til and helped him to the bathroom so he could get ready for the next set of laps.

Just as he'd said, Dr. Torrin and his team all showed up, right before three. 

“I apologize, Mr. Sugo!” Dr. Torrin said quickly as he stopped next to them, panting. “I should have thought ahead and had everything made up, including a ten times strength supplement!”

“We're in untested water here, Doctor. Mistakes are going to happen. Hayato ate his lunch but slept the rest of the time. I woke him up in time to get to the bathroom and get cleaned up, but he didn't move a muscle otherwise. If this next supplement doesn't bring results, I'll call off work for today. I'm not sure he needs to be driving if we can't get him leveled out right away.” Osamu told him.

“I understand, sir. I'd like to start with the level six formula then. We've been checking over all of our data and think we'll end up using one similar to level 8 but we'd rather work our way up to it, just to make sure.” 

Osamu nodded. “Hayato! Time for the next drink and then we'll get back to work.”

Hayato yawned but walked over under his own power. One of Dr. Torrin's assistants handed Hayato a green colored drink. Hayato gave it an uneasy look but finally shrugged and tipped it back. He handed the glass back with a grimace on his face.

“Ready to go then?” Hayato asked.

“Doctor?” Osamu asked.

“Give it two minutes and then you can go. You should be metabolizing it by then.” Dr. Torrin said.

Hayato nodded and headed towards the Asurada, pulling on his gloves. “Did you hear, buddy? Two minutes.”

“Understood, Hayato. I'm ready.” Asurada said.

Hayato pulled his helmet on and climbed into the Asurada. Osamu followed, watching to make sure Hayato buckled in. Hayato yawned again but slid the canopy down and locked it. Osamu tapped his watch and waved for him to go when the two minutes was up. Hayato gave him a thumbs up before starting the Asurada.

The engine roared as Hayato flipped down the faceplate on his helmet and put the car in gear. The Asurada rolled out of the Pit before Hayato changed gears and the car exploded forward.

“Already in Zero, sir!” Dr. Torrin called out.

Osamu nodded and watched the monitor closely. Hayato was driving extremely well for a man who just spent his lunch hour sleeping. By the time the third lap was finished, he could see a difference. He walked over to Dr. Torrin.

“His driving is sharper.” Osamu told them. “This one may be a step in the right direction.”

Dr. Torrin grinned. “His stress levels are going down as well and considering that his speed isn't, I'd say that it is looking better. We're going to try the level seven supplement next.”

Osamu nodded in approval. “Once you find the right mix, you're going to have to figure out how to make the boost he gets from it last longer. We average thirty minutes between Pit stops.”

“Already on it, sir. I've got the team back in the lab working hard on it.”

“Excellent.” Osamu said, before walking back to the monitor. It was true. Hayato's driving was sharper than it had been before lunch.

After the ten laps, Hayato pulled back into the Pit and Osamu was waiting, along with Dr. Torrin and his team. Hayato didn't wait for him this time, opening the canopy and pulling his helmet off. Osamu was relieved to see that Hayato had the distant look of Zero in his eyes, but was otherwise alert. A huge improvement over the last run.

Dr. Torrin was already handing Hayato another supplement to drink while his team took Hayato's vitals again. When they finished up, Osamu moved up next to Hayato and put his hand on the car to lean down.

“How do you feel?”

“Better than before lunch, actually.” Hayato said. “That drink thing took a full lap to kick in, but it helped a lot. I don't feel so fuzzy headed and Asurada told me that I was answering faster.”

“Asurada?” Osamu asked.

The main mount swiveled to look his way. “Hayato finally has responded positively, Osamu. He should be okay to run another set of laps.”

Osamu looked up at the Doctor and raised an eyebrow.

“I agree with both of them, Mr. Sugo. We'll evaluate him again after the next set.” Torrin told him.

Osamu clapped his hand on the car and straightened up. “Alright. Give us another set, Hayato.”

“Sure thing, boss!” Hayato pulled his helmet back on and flipped the visor down before closing the canopy.

The next set went by quickly and Osamu was pleased to see that Hayato was still alert and aware. It was a huge boost to morale to see that progress was being made.

By the time that 5pm rolled around, Hayato had been using the 8xs supplement for the past hour and when he parked the Asurada, Osamu was happy to see that he could even get out under his own power. His balance was still off for those first few steps as he adjusted to being out of Zero, but compared to how he was at lunch... Worlds better.

Hayato wound up in the Med truck for another half hour while Dr. Torrin took readings of every single thing he could think of before turning him loose.

“I'll have the adjusted supplement ready for the next trial, sir. When is it going to be?” Dr. Torrin asked him.

“Well, as good as Hayato looks today, let's try it again tomorrow. I want the kinks worked out of this by August first. We're going to Fujioka then and see about getting ourselves race ready.”

The team around them all cheered and one of Dr. Torrin's people handed Hayato another drink. Hayato didn't even grimace this time, just pouring it down as quickly as possible.

“Excellent work today everyone.” Osamu told all of them. “I'll see you tomorrow.”

He took Hayato by the elbow and steered him towards the golf cart. “Time for you to get changed and we'll go home and get the evening work out in. Margot promised one of your favorites tonight.”

Hayato's eyes lit up in interest. “She did? Which one?”

Osamu laughed. “She wouldn't tell me as she knew you'd get it out of me. She just said to tell you it would be a surprise.”

“Ah, that's mean!” Hayato said. “But I'm starving. Those drink things aren't good at killing hunger, let me tell you.”

Osamu urged Hayato into the golf cart. “Then it's a good thing we'll be feeding you soon, isn't it?”

 

Osamu finished up his morning run on the treadmill and shut it down. Hayato was still running next to him and would be for another 4 miles. His exercise program was stiff and the conversation that they'd had a week ago about security had been... unpleasant. Hayato had not liked the fact that his movements would be curtailed from here on out.

As it was, he wasn't taking any chances. Hayato had already been kidnapped once. The Protocol drivers would not take the addition of a normal human back into their ranks well. Claytor had never been able to challenge them, but Hayato...? Osamu grimaced. Everyone knew Hayato.

He spoken with his Father and they'd upgraded security on their transport, their garage area and hired guards to stay 24/7 with the Asurada. There was another pair assigned to follow Pei, Shinsuke and their understudies, Seki and Jazz. The crew knew that they left the transport at the same time and traveled to the garage and returned the same way. After this season, he might reevaluate but not now.

Hayato had a pair of guards assigned to him full time. The only time he wouldn't was when he was racing or when he was in the transport and thus guarded by the full time guards stationed here. He'd also assigned guards to his F-1 team as a 'just in case' move. It was possible that Aoi might strike back at a team that had less security, so he'd tightened it up for them as well.

There would be no more long runs through town for Hayato though. The treadmills installed here were top of the line and he'd even put in monitors so Hayato could play some of the videos pre-recorded of runs through different areas.

He showered quickly and got dressed. Today was their first day to run at Fujioka. Dr. Torrin and the med team had a smaller transport that would follow theirs. Security was even tighter on them as he didn't want to risk anyone being able to tamper with Hayato's supplements. They absolutely HAD to have them if Hayato was going to be able to race evenly.

“Good morning, Mr. Sugo!” Ryuu called out cheerfully. “Breakfast is ready whenever you are, sir!”

“Thank you, Ryuu.” Osamu said. Yet another thing he'd added was a full-time cook/housekeeper. Ryuu would make sure that Hayato's meal plan was followed and that none of them would have to keep up with the laundry or cleaning either.

“When will Mr. Kazami be ready?” Ryuu asked as he poured him a cup of coffee. “I want to make sure that I have his breakfast hot and ready for him.”

“He'll finish up his run in another twenty minutes or so and then shower and dress. Plan on him eating around 6:30am.” Osamu told him. “He can tell you if he wants it at a different time after today.”

“Thank you, sir!” Ryuu said cheerfully as he sat a plate of food in front of him.

Breakfast turned out to be delicious and he soon finished it, taking his coffee with him to the tiny office he had on the transport. Business waited for no man and even with this, he'd have to arrange to fly back several times a month. He sat down at his desk and opened up his e-mail. The first thing that caught his eye was an e-mail from Director Vance. He clicked it open and his eyebrows shot up. It was short.

SUGO!

I'LL BE THERE!!!

All caps and exclamation points... He'd never seen the Director write such a thing before. The man was always quite eloquent. He might have underestimated the draw that Hayato still had. He frowned as he thought it over, but really, until he saw the kind of crowds that showed up at a race, he didn't think it was wise to change the security any further.

He plowed through his work before calling a stop to it at 7:30. He wanted them to be there by 8 and he'd made sure that Hayato knew that he was never to walk there alone. For any reason. And that was in addition to the security. He unplugged his phone from the charger and shut his laptop off before heading out. Hayato was dressed in his driving suit already and sitting at the little kitchen table, chatting with Ryuu. Amusement flickered through him. Trust Hayato to make friends everywhere.

“Ready to go, Hayato?” He asked.

Hayato nodded and stood up, grabbing his helmet. “Sure thing, Osamu. See you at lunch, Ryuu!”

“Stay safe, Hayato!” Ryuu called back before turning back to cleaning the kitchen.

 

Hayato pulled out his sunglasses and Osamu did as well. The glare off all the white pavement that comprised the Transport area was well known. He pushed the door open, happy to see that the guards that would follow them were already here and waiting. He did love efficiency.

“Hayato, meet Mike and Terry. They're the two guards assigned to you personally during the day. Everyone, this is Hayato Kazami.” Osamu said.

Heads nodded politely all around but the guards didn't say anything. He'd chosen this company for their discretion and it looks like it was paying off. There wasn't a single other Cyber Formula team here practicing. It wasn't that unusual, as most teams practiced in their home countries during the off season, but Fujioka was well-known and you never knew. Aoi especially could show up anytime, dammit.

It was a long walk to the garage and the place was quiet. Pei, Shinsuke and the others had left over an hour ago. They'd have the Asurada set up and ready to run by 8. Dr. Torrin and his team were also supposed to be ready to go by 8. Osamu found himself smiling a bit as an excitement he'd thought long gone for him started to rise. He'd had to give up racing due to his eyes, but watching Hayato drive was a damn close second to the thrill.

Their garage finally came into view and they entered through the back, the guards posted there nodding politely at them and holding the door open. Inside, the garage was already busy. The Asurada was sitting in front of the roll-up door and Shinsuke was currently plugged in to the A.I. Pei and Seki were fastening down one of the side covers but everyone scrambled to finish up when they saw him.

“Ready to start?” Osamu asked.

“Yes, sir!” Came back a chorus of voices.

“Dr. Torrin, feel free to take over a corner of the garage as yours. We're still here to work out the bugs for Hayato, so do what you need. For right now, if you need us to stop or him to come in for any reason, just tell me. I want Hayato to be in the best shape possible.”

“Thank you, Mr. Sugo.” Dr. Torrin said. “Pei? Can we take the back corner over there that's empty?”

“Sure thing. We don't need it.” Pei said.

“Alright. Let's get the car out and ready. Hayato, do you want a few minutes?”

“Yes, please. And the first one of the drinks, Doc.” Hayato said. “Fujioka is harder than the home track. I'd rather not get behind.”

“Got it right here, Hayato.” Dr. Torrin said, pulling out one of the chilled bottles. They'd changed them over from glasses to insulated, non-see through mugs with straws. Hayato had to be able to drink it through a straw as he couldn't afford to take his helmet off at every Pit stop. Osamu also didn't want anyone to know that it was anything other than water. The less they knew, the better.

Hayato moved over to sit down on a stack of tires and set his helmet down beside him. If it was a race day, he'd have made him move into the tiny room to the side where he could shut the door and have true silence to collect his thoughts before driving. Today was still practice for them though.

One of the guards walked up to him and nodded politely. “Mr. Sugo? I had to send out for backup this morning. It seems that someone leaked word of your presence here as the rest of Pit row is filled with reporters from the looks of it. We're keeping them out of the Sugo area, but I didn't have the authority to run them completely out of Pit row.”

Osamu raised an eyebrow. “How the hell did they find out?”

The man shrugged. “I have no idea.”

“Thank you for letting me know.” Osamu told him. “Do what you can to keep them back. We're paying for our space here and I'll not have them intruding here uninvited.”

“Of course, sir.”

“Pei! Take the Asurada on out and get ready. I'll be out with Hayato shortly.”

“Sure thing, boss!” Pei called back, hitting the button that would raise the door.

As soon as it started to move up, Osamu could hear the low sound of a crowd. The noise rose rapidly when the Asurada was pushed outside. Osamu shook his head. He'd definitely underestimated Hayato's draw. He walked over and stood next to Hayato, patiently waiting. It only took a few more minutes before Hayato opened his eyes and grabbed his helmet.

“Ready.”

“Good. Heads up. Word got out that you were here. Security is keeping the crowd back and out of our Pit, but I'm told that it's otherwise packed out there.”

Hayato looked startled. “...Really? For a practice run?”

“Really. Ignore them all. If anyone wants a statement, I'll handle it. We're here to work on getting you ready to race and nothing else.” Osamu told him. “Focus only on driving.”

Hayato nodded. “Will do.”

Osamu walked out with Hayato who was still holding his helmet. Neither of them was expecting the absolute ROAR of sound that exploded the moment that Hayato stepped into view. They both actually flinched back at the sheer volume of noise.

“What the hell...?” Hayato asked in confusion. “Am I missing something?”

“Nothing important. I told you. People don't want to see artificially enhanced drivers. They want to see just how good a plain old human can be. Right now, you're the only non-Protocol driver registered on the CF circuit.” Osamu told him. “Come on. Let's get started.”

They both soon tuned out the endless flashes of cameras as well as the noise of people yelling questions at them. Dr. Torrin had installed a small refrigerator next to the Pit. He was busy stocking it with Hayato's supplements for the day. Shinsuke and Pei were putting on their headphones and setting up communications. Beside him, Hayato was pulling on his gloves before putting his helmet on.

Osamu walked him to the Asurada. “To start with this morning, I want you to give me ten laps at a moderate pace. Don't push it. I want to make sure the new car handles the extreme G's of the Tornado Bank before I let you go up to race speed. Come back in as soon as you finish them and once the Doc gives us the all clear, I'll let you go back out and we'll start the ten lap cycle for at least an hour.”

Hayato nodded. “Got it, Osamu.”

“Stay safe, Hayato.”

“Will do!” Hayato said cheerfully before he climbed into the Asurada.

The crowd noise went WAY up as Hayato closed the canopy. It was unnerving having so many civilians so close when they were going to run. As soon as he got Hayato underway, he was calling the Track Manager. This was unacceptable, dammit! He pulled on his own headphones in time to hear the comm check going on. Security had all moved into the safe zones he'd outlined for them when he'd hired them. They all also had on hearing protection as the Asurada was loud.

Hayato gave him a thumbs up through the canopy and he nodded, stepping back and waving him towards the track. Hayato started the Asurada with a throaty roar of power.

“Heading out!” Hayato called out over the comm as he put the Asurada in gear and headed down Pit row. The cameras flashing everywhere were a real distraction and he was glad that Hayato had experience with the Press before. It could have really messed up a rookie. He walked up to the monitors to watch Hayato's first lap.

“SUGO!” A deep voice boomed out loud enough to be heard over the crowd noise. “DID YOU INVITE THE PRESS?”

Osamu frowned and turned to see none other than Director Vance walking up to him.

“Good morning, Director. I take it that you're not the one that turned the Press loose on us this morning?” Osamu asked.

Vance shook his head. “No way. These people should never have been allowed onto this section of the track!” Vance pulled out his phone and Osamu was more than happy to let someone else handle this mess. Five minutes later, Track Security was there and they started pushing the Press out of the Pits and back up into the Press stands. Osamu watched for a minute before nodding to Vance.

“Thank you.”

Vance waved a hand. “Like I said, they never should have been able to get this close. Now, please tell me that you all are still warming up. The car looks good but my mother had chickens that could run faster than that.”

“HEY!” Pei called out indignantly.

Osamu just raised a brow. “Worried that you're backing a loser, are you?”

Vance turned to look at him. “More like, you folks are my last damn chance to save the sport I love. I'm terrified that something will go wrong. I need the Asurada to be the fastest damn thing that anyone has ever seen, Sugo. You know it and I know it.”

Osamu just shook his head. “I guess you'll just have to hang around and decide for yourself.”

Vance's gaze was heavy on him but he just turned back to watch the monitor. Hayato brought the Asurada back less than ten minutes later and parked it again. He didn't shut it off this time, just opened the canopy. Osamu walked over and leaned in to be heard.

“How did it go?”

“Excellent.” Hayato said, his eyes still a bit distant from Zero. “Asurada reported no issues as well.”

“Good. Give me ten more laps at race speed this time, Hayato. Bring it in after that. I want the Doctor to check you over again.”

Hayato groaned but nodded. Osamu knew he was tired of being poked and prodded, but they'd never done anything like this before and he wanted all the data he could get. Osamu stepped back out of the way and waved him on. Hayato closed the canopy and sent the Asurada back out again. This time, he could hear him changing gears the moment he hit the track and tripped the counter. The Asurada leaped forward like a rocket and Osamu smiled.

“Doc?”

Dr. Torrin nodded. “He's there, Mr. Sugo.”

He'd already emphasized that no one would mention the Zero Zone when anyone not of their crew was around. Until Vance was gone, there would be no direct mention at all. Osamu picked up another set of headphones and offered them to Vance. The Director took them with a grin and put them on. Asurada was chattering away in the background and Hayato would speak every now and then.

The car was running smoothly and there wasn't much to talk about when he was out on the track by himself. He could hear the distant roar of the Boost system kick in as Hayato rounded the last corner to the Tornado Bank already going in excess of 800 km/h and Hayato's hard breathing as he was subjected to just over 12 Gs. The Asurada was running like a dream though and came out of the Tornado Bank like a bullet.

“What'd it get up to?” Osamu asked Pei.

“877 km/h, boss!” Pei called out.

He heard Vance suck in a quick breath but his eyes were glued to the monitor and Hayato shifted back from Air mode to Track mode. The Asurada deployed its air brakes to assist in slowing them down for the next turn and Hayato drifted it. He could carry more speed through the corner that way and allow for braking to happen over several corners. It was easier on the entire braking system. Thirty one seconds later, the Asurada blew by them in Pit row in a streak of color as Hayato accelerated through the stretch. The timer clicked off the first lap time and the whole team whooped.

“Did you see that?” “Unbelievable!” “He did it!”

“Oh my God...” Vance said quietly. “He hasn't driven CF in years now and on his first return to Fujioka, he beat the track record by 1.2 seconds...?”

“The car is faster now which helps.” Osamu told him.

“The car is nothing without a driver, Sugo. We both know that.” Vance told him.

Osamu stood side by side with Director Vance as they watched Hayato do his best to beat his own time on every single lap. On the tenth lap, Hayato pulled into Pit row as instructed and parked the Asurada. He opened the canopy and unbuckled himself before climbing out.

“Pei! Check with Asurada. The front end picked up a shimmy after that last run through Tornado Bank. He's got the data.” Hayato called out.

“On it!” Pei told him, Seki following right behind him.

Hayato went straight to Dr. Torrin who walked with him back into the garage and the tiny corner they'd set up as their medical area.

“A doctor?” Vance asked him. “Is something wrong?”

Osamu shook his head. “No. We're trying to get the absolute best performance out of Hayato without using any drugs. To do that, he's been monitored from the beginning, so the doctors can see what can be done to help. We both know about the crushing fatigue that can happen in a long race. The Protocol drivers overcome it via drugs.” Osamu turned to look at him. “We're overcoming it via nutrition. Hayato's getting customized supplements to keep his energy up during a race. We've submitted and gotten approval for them through the CFRA.”

Vance suddenly laughed. “That explains the rumor I heard the other day about all of you living on seaweed and B-12.”

“The actual mix is under an NDA and the CFRA can't disclose it but it really is nothing but nutrition.” Osamu told him.

“When is your first promotional shoot?” Vance asked him.

“Next Friday. I've got the entire day booked as we need to get updated pictures of the Asurada and Hayato will have to have a full shoot. We've got nothing on them currently.” Osamu told him.

Vance nodded slowly. “Tell your people to contact my office. I want to pick out some of the new pics to use in our upcoming campaign for the new season, Sugo.”

Osamu nodded and pulled out his phone to make a note to himself. “I'll make sure it gets done.”

Hayato came back out then, helmet in hand and sipping on his next drink. Pei and Seki still had the Asurada jacked up as they worked on whatever had been wrong. Vance was already waving Hayato over to them and Osamu watched as Hayato walked over. He saw the moment recognition hit as Hayato's eyes widened.

“Director Vance!”

Vance smiled at Hayato and offered his hand. “Good to see you again, Kazami.”

Hayato shook his hand and smiled back. “You as well, Director. Osamu, Asurada said they'd be ready in five minutes.”

“Thank you, Hayato.” Osamu told him. “The next run is a full half hour. I'll decide then if we'll keep going or take a break.”

“Sure thing.” Hayato said. “Director.” Hayato said, nodding to Vance before walking back to the Asurada. He leaned in to watch as Pei and Seki finished up.

“Kazami is going to make Sugo Racing a household name this year.” Vance suddenly said quietly. “I can damn well feel it in my bones.” Vance sighed. “He's one of the great ones.”

Osamu watched as Hayato laughed at something Pei said before pulling his gloves on as the Asurada was set back on the ground.

“We'll see, won't we?” Osamu said as Hayato climbed into the Asurada. Dr. Torrin came back out and took up his monitoring station while Pei, Shinsuke and the others all put their headphones back on. “Looks like we're ready for another round, Director.”

He got the Director safely stationed under the awning and out of the way as Hayato buckled in and pulled the canopy closed.

“Ready to go, Hayato?” Osamu asked him over the comm.

“Ready, boss!”

“Take her out. I want a full half hour this time. If you experience any trouble with the car, bring it straight in. I want to know if we're going to have trouble on the longer runs or in the high-G turns. Fujioka is the place to find out.”

“Got it!” Hayato said, starting the Asurada with the familiar roar of power.

The Asurada rolled down Pit road and Osamu heard it as Hayato launched it from the Pit with a sound like rolling thunder. Smiling, he turned back to the monitor to watch as Director Vance stood next to him, doing the same.

 

The morning of the Press shoot turned out to be busy. Thanks to Hayato, he'd been gradually increasing his daily run so that Hayato wouldn't be working out alone. He'd also been eating whatever the hell it was that Hayato was eating that day. Some of the food had been rough but he'd already lost six pounds that he hadn't known he needed to lose.

They'd finished their run today and got cleaned up. Ryuu fed them but they ate quickly and headed down to the garage. Pei had been directing everyone in the efforts to get the Asurada in perfect shape. The first half of the day would be spent on nothing but photos of the Asurada in all kinds of situations. Hayato would even be doing some driving so they could get pictures of it in motion.

After lunch though were the photo shoots for Hayato and himself. And then the ones with the Asurada as well. It was going to be a long damn day again but good press was worth the trouble. 

The walk to the garage had gotten more and more interesting as every single day they were there, the crowd grew larger. People now lined up along the fences for the entire walk, cheering and calling out for Hayato. He'd just smile and wave at them, as they didn't have time to stop and sign autographs, but nothing seemed to dissuade the crowd. Security had gotten more and more tense as the number of people rose daily.

This morning was no different except the crowd was even larger than usual. Evidently word had gotten out that today was their official Press shoot. All of the fans were busy taking video and pics with their cell phones and as usual, Hayato made sure to smile and wave at them a few times. Each time he did, the crowd exploded with joy, screaming Hayato's name so loudly that it was nearly deafening. He'd been racing his entire life and never seen anything like this before.

They finally got to leave the crowd behind as they entered the garage area. The Sugo garage was still the only one with anything happening right now and it was packed. Inside, he found that the photo shoot was already well underway. Pei and Shinsuke looked frazzled but they did everything that was asked of them, moving around the Asurada and the props as requested. An older woman promptly slid out of the crowd when she saw them and walked over.

“Good morning, Mr. Sugo. Things are progressing well here. We'll be ready to start the action shots in another hour if everything works out.”

“Good morning, Ms.Baxter. Hayato? This is Amanda Baxter, the Chief Press Liaison for Sugo Racing. Ms. Baxter, this is Hayato Kazami.”

Ms. Baxter offered her hand to Hayato, who took it with his usual smile.

“It's a true pleasure to meet you, Mr. Kazami. Might I say that I've been a fan of your driving for years now! You are an amazing racer.”

“Thank you.” Hayato told her. “It's really a team effort though. It takes everyone doing their best to be able to compete.”

Osamu smirked as Baxter's eyes lit up at Hayato's words, more than likely already thinking of the quotes she could use.

“Hayato has done this several times before now, Ms. Baxter. I don't think he's ever been in one that's going to be as long as this one though.” Osamu told her.

Ms. Baxter nodded. “We've got to completely redo the Asurada portfolio today in addition to the usual press pics, Mr. Kazami. We don't have anything current at all and we're going to go all out for this season. You can expect to spend at least two hours driving for us so we can use the camera drones to catch as many shots from as many angles as we can.”

“No problem.” Hayato told her. “Whatever is needed.”

“Excellent!” Ms. Baxter said cheerfully. “We'll be ready to start filming the action shots in an hour so plan ahead. We're going to do our very best to stay on schedule. We'll break for an hour for lunch at noon with any luck and finish up with the personal shots afterwards.”

Hayato just nodded.

“I did take the liberty of getting your name sewn onto your driving suit. We all noticed that it wasn't on there yet.”

“Thank you for that. It kept slipping my mind.” Osamu told her.

She just waved a hand. “That's what I'm here for. There are drinks and snacks along the far wall over there. Help yourself.”

Amanda trotted back into the crowd.

“Drinks and snacks for everyone else, she really meant to say.” Hayato grumbled. “I like the way it's easier to stay in the Zone longer but I'm getting tired of seaweed.”

Osamu laughed. “I'll forward a request to the Nutrition team to see about varying the menu a bit more. I have to admit, some of the meals so far have been damn hard to get down.”

Hayato grinned at him and Osamu had to fight down the warm flush of affection at Hayato's amused eyes. “I can't believe you've been eating it with me.”

“I didn't want you to struggle alone.” Osamu told him. “Besides, I've lost six pounds that I didn't even know I needed to lose and I'm up to running fifteen miles a day with you. The exercise is good for me. I've been spending too much time behind a desk.”

This time, Hayato laughed. “You look great, Osamu.”

“So do you.” He said. “Go on and enjoy your free hour. Just be ready to drive by nine.”

Hayato tossed him a jaunty salute before wandering off to where Pei and Shinsuke were huddled up behind the cameras. Osamu pulled out his phone and sent off the message he'd promised to Nutrition.

“Hello, son.”

Osamu was so surprised that he nearly dropped his phone as he spun around.

“Father?”

None other than Kojiro Sugo, current CEO of Sugo Corporation, was standing behind him. It was all Osamu could do not to gape at him. They'd gotten over their differences a while ago, but they'd never really been close. This time though, his Father seemed determined to screw with his mind as the man walked up and wrapped his arms around him in a hug.

Osamu was officially mind-blown as he tried to remember the last time his Father had hugged him. It had been when he was around eight if he remembered it correctly...

“It's damn good to see you, son.” Kojiro told him quietly. 

Osamu finally got his act together and hugged his Father back for a moment before letting go. “What brings you here?” He asked.

“You did, of course. The entire Cyber Formula world is in an uproar over Sugo Racing bringing back Hayato.” His Father suddenly smiled. “Director Vance has been keeping me current on the behind the scenes in CF. Seems that you've got the Protocol teams all freaking out, Osamu.”

Osamu grimaced. “I'm not surprised. Hayato was capable of battling on an even basis with Phil, their first human trial run. That was before he had a couple more years of experience with training his personal brand of skills and now he's got a team dedicated to making sure that he can sustain his high-powered form of driving.”

Kojiro nodded, looking around at the busy photo shoot. “Is it true what his mother told me? Does Hayato actually know how to use Zero?”

Osamu winced. “Officially, we have no idea what Zero is Father and we never use that word around others. Unofficially... Yes. That's why the Med team is required. The energy demands of such extreme concentration are enormous and he fades if he uses it too long. We've overcome it with good nutrition though.”

Kojiro suddenly smiled a bit. “I always thought that was one of racing's urban legends. Everyone's heard of it but no one actually knew someone that could use it.”

“Now you do, although please don't discuss it with anyone other than our team, Father.”

“Of course.” Kojiro told him. “What's your plan for today?”

Obligingly, Osamu turned back to face the photo shoot. “The still shots of the Asurada will be finished by 9am. Then we'll start two hours of driving shots and break for lunch when they're finished. After that, will be Hayato's photo shoot and then the ones with me, Hayato and the car.”

Kojiro nodded. “I suppose Vance already told you that he wants to cherry-pick the photos for the upcoming Cyber Formula season campaign?”

“He did. Our Press people will contact him as soon as the photos come back.”

“Good.” Kojiro suddenly smiled at him. “I'm proud of you, Osamu.”

Osamu's eyes widened at his Father's words. “...What?”

“I'm proud of you. I never have told you that often enough, but it's true. To this day, I still wish I'd told it to Asuka more often.”

Osamu nodded slowly and Kojiro sighed.

“But today's not the day for my maudlin memories to bring us down. Instead, I have a favor to ask of you.”

“Of course, Father.”

“I can't get away that often, so since I'm here, how about getting Hayato to give me a few laps at race speed? It would be nice to see him drive in person. Then I can go back to the office and drive everybody crazy with jealousy.”

Osamu actually chuckled, surprised at himself. “Not a problem, Father. I'll have him run them first, before he gets bored with the endless requests for re-do's from the photographers.”

“Thank you.”

It was quiet for nearly ten more minutes before Kojiro spoke again. “Son? I'm serious about the other teams being in an uproar. They've spent millions on their damn drug scheme and the thought of a normal human being able to beat them on the track is making them crazy.” He turned to meet Osamu's eyes. “And crazy people do stupid things.”

“I know. That's why I asked for the extra Security.” Osamu told him. “Hayato is already completely restricted on where he can go and what he can do. He's been kidnapped once before. I wouldn't put it past them to try again.”

Kojiro nodded slowly. “If this team of yours works Osamu, there's a chance that you can save Cyber Formula racing from the scrap heap. If you think you're going to need more security, just let me know. I don't want to take any chances.”

“I'll do it, Father. We're still six weeks out from the start of the season though and one week away from officially announcing Hayato as our driver.” Osamu told him. “I'd imagine that things will get worse then.”

“Mr. Sugo? We're ready to move out and start on the driving shots!” Ms. Baxter called out. “Can we change locations?”

“Of course. Pei? Shinsuke?”

“On it, boss!” Pei called back, hitting the button to open the door. Shinsuke, Seki, Jazz and Pei all pushed the Asurada on out into the Pit area. A distant roar of noise hit his ears then and Osamu frowned, walking over to the door to look outside. His Father walked with him.

“Dear Lord...” Kojiro murmured.

“Holy shit...” Osamu breathed out, absolutely floored. He'd never in a million years have expected this.

“The stands are packed!” Kojiro said, astonished. “Is there something going on that I don't know about?”

“I have no idea!” Osamu said.

“Mr. Sugo! Mr. Sugo!”

Both of them turned at the sound of their name and Osamu recognized his Chief of Security running up.

“Sir! I've got a Hiroshi Takeshiro being held at the outer perimeter. He said he's the Track Manager for Fujioka and his picture matches our info as well. He wants to speak with you.”

“Allow it.” Osamu told him.

His Chief nodded and rushed off again.

“This should be interesting.” Kojiro said dryly. “You've had the track scheduled for weeks. How is he going to possibly explain scheduling something else on such an important day for our team?”

It was a short wait before his Chief came back, escorting a distinguished, gray haired gentleman in a nice suit. Osamu recognized him immediately. Mr. Takeshiro bowed as soon as he reached them.

“Mr. Sugo! Mr. Sugo! It's a pleasure to meet both of you here. I've tried to reach your Press department previously but been rebuffed as nothing has been officially announced yet. You see, I've been put in quite the situation.” Mr. Takeshiro wiped the sweat off his forehead with a handkerchief. “The rumor mill has exploded that you have hired Hayato Kazami to drive this year. I'm sure you've noticed the steadily rising numbers of fans congregating around the Pit Walk?”

“We have.” Osamu told him.

“Director Vance told me not to shut them out. He said that you are aware of how dire Cyber Formula's status is, correct?”

Osamu and Kojiro both nodded.

“He instructed me to open the stands instead. Let the fans get the chance to see Sugo in action firsthand. That way, I can better keep them out of all unapproved areas.” Mr. Takeshiro waved a hand towards the seating. “It seems that your schedule was leaked to the fan sites and we were mobbed with fans. All of those people are paying to sit in those seats out there and wait for a chance to see Kazami driving the Asurada. Even though they all know it's not a race and that currently, you are the only team here. We're sold out, Mr. Sugo.”

“Sold out?” Kojiro asked in astonishment. “For one car and driver?”

Mr. Takeshiro nodded. “Hayato Kazami is a racing legend, sir. Paired with the Asurada, no one else comes close to him. The fans have been leaving in droves since the Aoi Protocol was implemented over all our protests.” He sighed. “They...” He shook his head. “No, WE all want to see Kazami win. We want Cyber Formula to go back to the way it was, sir. It should always be about who has the best car and driver and never about drugs.”

“You're telling me that you sold out Fujioka stadium with fans of Hayato's? And that they know that they're only going to see intermittent practice runs?” Osamu asked.

“That's right, sir. I'm here to ask a favor though. I have an announcer in today. Is there any way I could get your team to contact him and let him know what's going on? I want the fans to know when they need to be watching and when there's going to be a break.” Mr. Takeshiro told him. “In fact, if you'd be willing to allow some of the fans access to the usual areas, I'll authorize the use of Winner's Circle for your photo shoot today.”

Osamu ran a hand through his hair before he looked over at his father. Kojiro raised an eyebrow.

“Perhaps we should ask Ms. Baxter then?”

“Good point.” Osamu waved a hand. “Ms. Baxter, come over here please.”

She hurried over from where she'd been talking to the camera equipped drone operators. “Yes, sir?”

“Mr. Takeshiro here just told us that they sold out Fujioka today for the chance to see Hayato and the Asurada. There is even an announcer here. We'll contact him with what we'll be doing next so that he can tell the crowd. But more importantly, he's offered us the use of the Winner's Circle for a photo shoot if we allow the public access to their usual zones. Can you use it?” Osamu asked her.

Ms. Baxter's jaw was hanging open. “You... We... WOW! YES, YES, YES! Please! When do we need to shoot? We never get access to those areas unless it's live shots after the race!”

“I would prefer it if it was after you all were done with the track for the day. That way, when you finish, we can let everyone know and they can leave.” Mr. Takeshiro told her. “We've even got the concession stands open today so that they'll all be able to eat and drink something during the waits.”

Ms. Baxter was almost dancing with excitement. “We can definitely do it, Mr. Sugo! I'll see about getting it arranged for the last half of our still shots segment, if that's okay?”

“That would be fine. We want the best pics we can get.”

She clapped her hands to her face, her eyes shining. “This will be amazing!”

“Shinsuke?” Osamu called out and the man hurried over. 

“Yes?”

“I need you to set Jazz to contact the Track announcer. Do you have his number Mr. Takeshiro?” Osamu asked.

“Yes!” 

Shinsuke quickly saved the number.

“Jazz will need to contact him and let him know what we're doing. Fujioka stadium is sold out today and all of them want to see Hayato and the Asurada. Jazz will be responsible for letting them know when to look and when there will be a wait.”

Shinsuke's jaw dropped open. “THAT'S why the stadiums are packed?”

“It is.”

“Wow...” Shinsuke said before shaking himself. “I'll get Jazz on it, sir! Right now!”

“Are you ready to start the driving section then?” Osamu asked. “I can get Hayato if you are.”

“We are, sir!” Ms. Baxter said quickly.

“My Father doesn't get much free time, so we're going to give him the first twenty laps at race speed. He wants to see the Asurada and Hayato drive in person. After that, we'll do whatever you need from us, okay?”

Ms. Baxter looked a bit faint with excitement but nodded. “Is it okay if we deploy the drones and try to capture some live action when you do?”

“Of course. Today is your day to tell us what you need.” Osamu said.

One of the men carrying a video camera trotted up behind Ms. Baxter and tapped her on the shoulder. She turned to him with a frown.

“What is it, Bill?”

“We just heard, boss! I just wanted to let you know that my camera can actually hook up to the video monitors here. I spent a couple of years here as a track photographer. The people might like a bit of live footage, especially if they get to see Kazami getting in the Asurada.”

Mr. Takeshiro, Ms. Baxter and Bill all turned to him with hopeful expressions. Osamu just held up his hands in surrender.

“Only when he's getting in and out of the car. I don't want our private team information being spread around the world any faster than it apparently already is.” Osamu said dryly.

“THANK YOU!” All three of them said in unison.

“Can you hold Kazami inside the garage then until we're ready?” Ms. Baxter asked.

Osamu nodded. “I'll do it. Father, if you'd like to stay over under the awning with Pei, he can get you some headphones so you can listen in.”

Kojiro nodded and sauntered off and Osamu turned his steps towards the garage. Hayato was still in the back and chatting with someone who was repairing a camera.

“Hayato?”

Hayato's head jerked up and he smiled at him. “Ready?”

“Just about. Father has requested that you give him a full speed run to start though. I want the first twenty laps to be done at race speed before we start altering the runs to suit the photographers. They're going to have the drones in the air, but they'll all be out of your way.”

Hayato nodded.

“Even more, word leaked out that today was our official press shoot, Hayato. Fujioka stadium is sold out with fans wanting to see you and the Asurada. The Track Manager himself came down and requested that we update their announcer with what we'll be doing. They're going to be keeping the crowd occupied.” He tipped his chin towards the Pit. “They'll be live streaming to the stadium monitors any action that happens outside as well.”

Hayato's eyes were getting bigger and bigger with his every word. Osamu smiled a bit.

“You look like I did when he told me. I knew the crowds were getting bigger every day, but I never expected this.” Osamu told him, shaking his head. “It's like race day out there. Concession stands and everything.”

He walked up and took Hayato's arm. “How about taking a few minutes to yourself first? This will be your first time in front of a crowd in a while. We've got a few as they're getting the video gear working.”

Hayato nodded and sat down on a toolbox, setting his helmet down next to him and leaning back against the wall. Inside here, the noise was just a low level rumble in the distance and Osamu used the time himself to resettle his nerves. There was a huge amount of pressure riding on all of this. Far more than he'd ever let Hayato know.

“Mr. Sugo?” Dr. Torrin called out as he walked into the garage holding Hayato's first drink. “They're almost ready, sir. I brought Hayato's drink.”

“Thanks, Doc.” Hayato said, leaning forward to take it from him. Hayato drank them without complaint anymore. He had just set the empty mug down when Ms. Baxter walked in.

“Mr. Sugo? We're ready.” She called out.

Hayato slid off the tool box and onto his feet.

“He's going to do twenty laps, Dr. Torrin. If you want to check him afterwards, just let us know and I'll call him in. Otherwise, we're going to start working with the photographers.”

“Of course, Mr. Sugo.” Dr. Torrin said. “The Med station is already up and monitoring Kazami's suit live.”

“Excellent. Let's go then.” Osamu said. 

Hayato grabbed his helmet and walked out to the Pit beside him. Neither of them were prepared for the huge upswelling of sound as soon as the monitors showed Hayato on them. The damn ground felt like it was shaking, there were so many people yelling. 

“What the...?” Hayato muttered, his eyes flying to the stands in surprise. “You said it, but I guess I really didn't believe it. All of them are here just to see a practice run?”

“They are.” Osamu told him. “None of that matters right now though. We have a job to get done.”

“Got it, boss.” Hayato said, setting his helmet down in the Asurada and pulling on his gloves. 

Ms. Baxter's people were circling around and snapping pictures as Hayato got ready and the videographer was crouched down to the side to give a good shot to the camera for the fans. Osamu could see that Jazz was on the phone already, so that took care of that problem. Hayato reached in and grabbed his helmet, pulling it on next.

The SOUND...! It was astonishing how loud the fans were! He saw Hayato look over at the stands again before shaking his head and climbing into the Asurada.

“It's loud out here today, Asurada.” Hayato said as he buckled himself in. “How about we go make some noise of our own?”

That was the last thing he heard as Hayato closed and locked the canopy. Pei ran him over a set of headphones to listen in on as Hayato did his comm check and Osamu waved all the cameramen back.

“Start it up, Hayato.” He said over the comm.

“Got it.” Hayato answered, starting the Asurada with the familiar deep rumble of power. “All systems are green.”

“Good to go then. Give my Father a show, will you?”

“Sure thing, boss. Let's go, Asurada!” Hayato said, putting the Asurada in gear and heading down Pit road. 

Osamu walked over to the monitors and his Father as Hayato hit the track and changed gears, launching the Asurada forward like a rocket. All of the Press department was huddled up around their laptops and the video they were getting as Hayato put the Asurada through the track at speed. The sheer volume of crowd noise though... It felt like a physical punch it was so loud! And when Hayato finally cleared the last turn to the Tornado Bank and activated the Boost system, he put a hand to his chest as the crowd noise hit him like an impact.

Beside him, his Father had his hands resting on the track wall and his eyes glued to the monitor. They could all hear Hayato's heavy breaths as he struggled with 12 Gs through the Tornado Bank. The car came out of the Bank like a fighter jet and powered down the Illusion straight. The crowd started screaming again when the Asurada changed back from Air mode to Track mode and activated the air brakes. 

Just as he'd seen Hayato do many times now, he drifted the Asurada through the first three turns, carrying more speed through them and going easy on the brakes. He hit the back side of the track and passed in front of the far set of stadium seating doing better than 450 km/h before having to use the air brakes at the far end to make the much steeper exit turn.

Twenty three seconds later, the Asurada blew by them in Pit Row with Hayato still accelerating. The stats on the monitor said he was running at 495 km/h when he crossed the lap marker and set his lap time.

“My God!” Kojiro said.

Osamu could barely hear him over the crowd noise. He didn't need to though as the lap time was displayed on the screen. On his first run in front of a crowd, Hayato had just beat Fujioka's track record by 6.1 seconds. The next five were all almost perfect copies and came in at 6.0, 6.1, 6.3, 6.1 and 6.5 under respectively. The seventh run was where he could see the change.

Hayato's driving was almost impossibly sharp on that run and the Asurada was pushing the red zone on every single high speed stretch. He thought he was going to lose it on the exit corner of the Illusion straight, but had to shake his head when Hayato bounced the car off the curb and into the air. Asurada's downdraft fans came on and Hayato just leaped over the sharpest part of the corner and landed on the other side with Hayato already back on the accelerator.

He passed them in a roar of superheated air and noise, nothing more than a blur of color as he clocked in at 527 km/h. The lap timer clicked over and Osamu felt himself get a bit weak in the knees. 

“A full 9 seconds under the track record?” He whispered.

“Son?” His Father said, laying a hand on his shoulder and leaning in close. “You're going to need a helluva lot more security.”

Osamu nodded as Hayato's voice suddenly came over the headphones. “Osamu?”

“What is it, Hayato?”

“Do you want me to continue to try for more speed or fall back to the usual?” Hayato said in his oddly flat Zero voice.

Possibilities ran through his head before he sighed. “Push it. This is a damn good chance for Pei to see how the Asurada is going to do under hard use. I don't think we'll get any more private practices anyway.”

His Father was nodding his agreement next to him.

“Got it, boss.” Hayato answered before falling silent.

The next thirteen laps were a demonstration of extreme speed, courage and engineering. Hayato never dropped below 9 seconds faster than the track record and in fact on his last two runs, managed to better it by another .6 seconds.

Dr. Torrin had already told him to call Hayato in though, so he did and the Asurada was soon rolling down Pit row. Hayato parked it and shut it off, the Asurada radiating heat like a furnace. Shinsuke was already running up with his laptop to plug into Asurada as Hayato unbuckled himself before opening the canopy.

Osamu walked over as Hayato got out under his own power. Dr. Torrin was waiting on him and Hayato, well used to how it went, stopped long enough to wave at the camera that was once again recording for the crowd video monitors. The wall of noise that greeted that wave was deafening and Osamu grimaced, walking around Asurada to Hayato and into the garage with them.

Hayato pulled his helmet off when he was inside and Osamu took it from him as Dr. Torrin got him to sit down on the bench he'd brought in.

“You've been holding back, Hayato.” Osamu said once Hayato's eyes lost that distant look he'd grown familiar with.

Hayato just grinned at him. “Hey, it's never good to push it hard unless you're actually racing. You taught me that. Break the boss' car in a practice run and you can lose your job. But you said today to give your Father a show, so Asurada and I did our best.”

“It was a damn fine show, Hayato. I'll have Claire and the design team here tomorrow. They're going to be traveling with us this time. I'm not sure how the Asurada is going to hold up under those kinds of extremes and I want them here to address any problems.”

“It'll be good to see Ms. Claire.” Hayato said, patiently following the doctor's directions as he talked to him.

“Kazami, is this the true level you work at during a race?” Dr. Torrin asked him.

“Well, I've never tried to hold Zero for an entire race before, so it's new to me too. But when I did use, it... Yeah. There are a lot more probabilities when the track is filled with cars and drivers. It's a lot more mentally challenging than just trying for speed on an empty track.” Hayato said.

Dr. Torrin pulled out a tablet computer and typed something in. “In that case, we're going to have to change your supplement strength again. You were burning calories nearly half again as fast as usual. So I'm going to get the lab to make up another set to counteract it.” Dr. Torrin looked at Osamu. “Will we have more chances to run like this before the actual race? I'm going to have to verify that I've got it right.”

“Absolutely. We don't need to leave for Italy until September 14.” Osamu told him. “You'll probably have to continue to adjust it even through the first couple of races as Hayato improves.”

“Yes, sir. You're otherwise good to go, Kazami. You didn't run long enough to wear yourself out and I'll have the first batch of stronger nutritional shakes ready by tomorrow morning.” Dr. Torrin said. “That was some amazing driving!”

Hayato smiled at the doctor. “Thanks, Doc. Nothing quite like the thrill of speed.”

“Cool off, Hayato. I'll let you know when you'll need to go back out.” Osamu told him as he pulled out his phone to call Claire. 

His Father met him at the entrance to the garage and waited until he had Claire and her team lined up to arrive at Fujioka right away. Finally satisfied, he hung up and pocketed his phone.

“Son, I've already contacted the Security company. Their CEO will be here tonight. I want triple the manpower that you already have here. This could get messy. Hayato's not just a damn good driver, he's a direct threat to the millions of dollars that the others are funneling in. I don't want any of you taking chances.”

“Understood, Father.”

“And next... Well, I want to buy something for your team here. We haven't purchased a new transport in eight years. I think you need a bigger one with a med bay built in so that the Doctor can travel with you and not on a different transport. You also need room for the additional security to travel with you and a gym that's bigger than a postage stamp.” Kojiro told him. “I'm buying it. I've got a rep coming out here tonight and I want you to pick it out. They should be able to get it repainted in plenty of time.”

Stunned, as he knew first hand just how damn much one of them cost, he could only stare at his Father for a moment. “But we haven't had a winning season since Hayato left.”

“And he's back. And so is the Asurada. I believe that you all are going to bring life back to the fastest circuit in the world. Let me do this.” His Father told him.

Osamu could only nod. “Of course, Father. I wouldn't say no to more space. We're pretty cramped.”

“That's what I thought.” Kojiro said. “Now, I've got some phone calls to make, so I'm just going to sit in here where it's quieter and stay out of the way.”

“Of course.” Osamu said. “I need to go find out what they need next.”

As it turned out, the work they did up until lunch was just as repetitive as he'd feared. The crowd loved it though as the photographers had Hayato drifting multiple corners, doing extreme braking, changing modes often and every other flashy move they could think of. By the time they stopped for lunch, Hayato was totally bored with it. Osamu took him back out to their transport so they could eat lunch. There was no point in eating the catered lunch with the others as there was nothing there that fit on Hayato's meal plan. They both had to get cleaned up and ready for their personal photo shoots as well.

After lunch though... That turned into just as big of a media circus as he'd feared. They only spent an hour in the Pit taking pictures before they had Hayato drive the Asurada to the Winner's Circle. The crowd noise was deafening as it was a sea of fans as far as he could see. They had to stop in between shots and run up to tell Hayato what they wanted him to do next as he couldn't hear them otherwise. Even with the extra trouble, the Press was overjoyed as there was nothing like a background of screaming fans to show excitement.

His Security team had been backed up by Track Security and they managed to keep the crowd contained for the entire shoot. Mr. Takeshiro managed to weasel their schedule out of them and announced it to the crowd, promising to open Fujioka on days they'd be driving. Osamu tuned it all out as the man started telling the fans to check the website for details.

He was just grateful that it was over for now. They'd do shorter press shoots throughout the season, but nothing like this.

“Hop on, boss! I'll give you a ride back to the Pit.” Hayato called out as he leaned out of Asurada.

“Thanks.” Osamu said, settling himself behind the canopy. “Pei, Shinsuke, Seki, Jazz? Want to ride? There's enough room for all of us if we're careful.”

Their faces lit up like Christmas had come early and he helped each of them get settled on the Asurada. Hayato fired it up, ignoring the thousands of flashing cameras as he drove the Asurada out of the Winner's Circle and slowly down the track to the Pit. Pei and the others mobbed Hayato just as soon as he was out, overjoyed for the chance to do something that Osamu thought was minor. It finally dawned on him that it would probably be best to do something for them. One look at the line of 'World Champion' patches on Hayato's sleeve gave him the idea he needed. He pulled out his phone and called his secretary, Mary.

 

Osamu tapped his fingers on the table as he stared at his F-1 teams. They'd both been performing decently, but neither team had gotten the championship in years now. That was why he'd arranged for the teams to have a medical doctor assigned that could do what Dr. Torrin was doing for Hayato. Peak performance was everything. Considering he wasn't asking them to take drugs, it was pretty surprising that they were all bucking so hard against the change.

He knew they could tell that he was pissed off and he finally pointed to Williams who was Crew Chief for Sugo Direct. “Prepare the backup car to run immediately.”

Williams looked surprised but nodded. “I'll get it done, sir.”

“Good. I want the main car ready to run inside of two hours as well. Both teams.” Osamu said, rising to his feet. “Dr. Toshihiko? Dr. Torrin will be here shortly. I want you to stay at his side and let him walk you through everything he does, okay?”

“Yes, sir!”

“Why are the rest of you just sitting here? Get your asses ready to race!” Osamu snapped as he got to his feet. They all went scurrying away from him, looking a bit spooked. His lips were pressed into a thin line as he fought down his irritation and pulled out his phone. He had some calls to make.

As soon as he was off the phone, he headed down to the Pit to check on the progress of the backup car. Pei had given him the settings and he wanted to make sure the car was set up correctly. It would save time when the others arrived as Pei should be able to verify it pretty quickly. The mechanics were sweating hard as he stood over them watching.

The main cars were already done as they were kept in top condition. Both of his drivers had reappeared dressed in their suits and the rest of the crews were starting to gather as he waited on the backup car to get finished. Fifty-six minutes after he called, Security escorted in the ones he'd called for. He heard the low, disgruntled murmuring start up when they saw who came in.

Hayato was dressed in his driving suit already and carrying his helmet. Pei had only brought a small toolbox with him and Shinsuke was carrying his laptop. Dr. Torrin was walking next to Hayato and smiling about something that he'd said. Osamu waved them over.

“Thank you all for coming so quickly. It seems I have a crisis here on my F-1 teams, gentlemen. They don't believe that there is a need for any of them to try and improve. Dr. Torrin? I've asked Dr. Toshihiko to stay with you while they're here. I want him to see firsthand how this system is going to operate. Pei? Check over the car and make sure the settings are exactly correct. Shinsuke? Same thing. You know how Hayato drives. Make sure the engine is set up to support him.”

“Yes, sir!” They all chorused out and scattered. Pei and Shinsuke descended on the car while Dr. Torrin was shaking hands with Dr. Toshihiko.

“Hayato?” Osamu called out. “Walk with me for a moment.”

“Yes, sir.” Hayato said, falling into step beside him. “What's this all about?”

Osamu stopped them once he was sure they were out of earshot and turned to look at him. “My F-1 teams feel that there is nothing else they can do to improve. My drivers are completely against having a doctor monitor them and are definitely against using nutrition to help them stay focused during a race. I've said all I'm going to say now. I want you to drive against them. They need to experience firsthand that there is a better way.”

Osamu looked grim. “They're going to see the light today or I'll be rebuilding both teams from scratch.”

Hayato nodded, looking solemn. “You know I've never driven an F-1 car in my life, right?”

“I know. You're going to get twenty practice laps to get used to the different handling and the fact that you won't have Asurada with you. I want you to Pit after that and we'll refuel you before we start running.”

Hayato nodded again. “I'll do my best.”

“That's all I can ask, Hayato.” Osamu said, setting his hand on Hayato's shoulder. “When you get out front, don't look back. Don't worry about making them look bad. Don't worry about anything other than driving as fast as possible. Dr. Torrin brought your shakes with him. We'll Pit every half hour and plan to run a minimum of two hours.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Go take a few minutes for yourself. I'm going to talk to the other teams and let them know what I expect.” Osamu told him. “Pei and Shinsuke both will be on your comm, so if you need something, just ask.”

“Yes, sir.”

He patted Hayato's shoulder and urged him back to the garage before heading to his F-1 teams who were all looking rather mulish.

Paulson, his driver for Sugo Inc. was the first to speak. “What the hell, Sugo?” He burst out. “You brought a Cyber Formula driver here and think you can get him to show us what to do?”

“How could you possibly think that? The whole world knows that Kazami has only ever raced Cyber Formula. Why do you want him humiliated right before the season starts, boss?” Richards asked, the driver for Sugo Direct.

“I brought Hayato Kazami here because he quite frankly is the best damn driver I've ever seen. Did you not notice the row of World Championship badges down the sleeve of his suit, gentlemen? Hayato doesn't need to worry about being humiliated here because regardless of how this turns out, I know that he will have given it his very best.” Osamu growled out. “I think that somewhere along the way, all of you have forgotten what it's like to WANT to win!”

Both teams were staring at him, wide-eyed and mad but he simply glared them down. 

“Remember one thing. I run Sugo Racing. Failure to perform is grounds for dismissal. It's in all the contracts. Hayato will be given twenty rounds to get used to the difference in how the car handles and he'll bring it back in. Once his car is refueled, all three of you are going to go head to head for a minimum of two hours. Plan on Pit stops every half hour. I'll call them out.”

His drivers still looked rebellious, but the rest of the teams were starting to look worried.

“...Sir?” Williams asked a bit tentatively.

“What?”

“When do you want to start?”

“As soon as Pei and Shinsuke have Hayato's car set up. Get your teams ready immediately!” He snapped out and they all scattered again as he walked over to Hayato's car. “How's it coming?”

“I've reset the compression ratio to better match Hayato, Osamu. Same with the ignition timing and the braking system. It should be a closer match to what he's used to.”

“I've just got a couple more things to check, boss. Three minutes.” Pei called out from his place under the car.

“Thank you. Did you hear how this is going to run?”

Pei slid out from under the car and nodded. Shinsuke did as well as he unhooked his laptop from the car and closed up the cover.

“We did, boss. Hayato's got twenty laps to get the car set up right and then he's got to beat the snot out of some arrogant jerks?” Pei asked him cheekily.

“It's going to be a lot different than he's used to. You and Shinsuke are going to be on his comm. I'll be monitoring the F-1 teams once the racing starts.”

“Hayato can do it, boss.” Pei told him as he refastened the last cover.

“I know. Dr. Torrin?”

“Yes, Mr. Sugo?”

“You ready?”

“I am. We're live as we speak.”

“Good. Give Hayato his first supplement then. We'll be starting in a couple of minutes.”

Dr. Torrin nodded and grabbed one from the cooler he'd brought with him and headed into the garage. Osamu waited until Dr. Torrin came out with Hayato who was nodding at whatever he was being told. Both of them walked up to him.

“Hayato, let me walk you through the differences between the cars. There aren't many.” Osamu told him. “Go ahead and get in.”

Hayato climbed in and put his helmet on, watching as he started pointing out where everything was located on the F-1 car. At least the gear shift was still mounted on the steering wheel and the pedal layout was the same. No Boost system on an F-1.

“No air brakes as you won't be going nearly as fast and no mode changes. You've got twenty laps. Bring it in if there's something you want changed and we'll get it done during those twenty laps.”

Hayato nodded.

“Stay safe, Hayato.”

“Yes, sir.”

Osamu put on his headphones and backed away. “Anytime.”

Hayato fired it up and put his hands on the wheel. Osamu could see him going through the differences in his head before nodding.

“Shinsuke! Comm check!”

“Loud and clear, Hayato! All systems are reading green!”

“I'm off then.” Hayato said, putting it in gear and rolling out of the Pit. Osamu walked over to the monitor, still furious that he'd had to resort to this. Hayato should be worrying about the upcoming season, not a couple of poorly performing teams.

He kept his arms crossed as he listened to Hayato's comm for now. Hayato wasn't saying much, focusing on learning how the car handled and where all the controls were. At the ten lap mark, his speed still wasn't very impressive but his driving was getting sharper and sharper. He heard some rather rude comments about Hayato's abilities from the crews behind him and one quick glance over his shoulder was enough to kill the snickers from them. 

“Dr. Torrin?” He asked.

The doctor looked back at him and shook his head 'no'. Osamu frowned a bit, not sure why Hayato wouldn't be using the Zero Zone to help him adjust faster. Twenty laps down, Hayato brought his car back into the Pit and Osamu found himself wondering if perhaps he'd given him too much this time. 

Pei had already started to refuel the car and the drivers were getting into their cars. They were way too damn arrogant and not for the first time, he cursed his eyes for taking away his racing. He walked over to Hayato and leaned down.

“How is it?” He asked.

Hayato actually grinned up at him, causing him to raise an eyebrow.

“A lot of fun, Osamu. Kind of sporty.” Hayato said way too cheerfully. “Do you think they bought it?”

“...Bought it?”

“Hey, boss... I must be good if I convinced you too. I had a plan. I've never seen either one of them drive, so I thought it best if they were a bit overconfident.” Hayato told him. “The car is handling like a dream. Pei and Shinsuke have it set up perfect. It's no Asurada, but it's fun.”

Osamu felt some of his worry leave him. “Stay safe. And if you can teach them a lesson, do it. I'll call out the Pit stops.”

“You got it, boss!” Hayato told him, giving him the thumbs up.

Osamu nodded and stepped back. “Send them out.”

Both Crew Chiefs and Shinsuke all got on their comms and all three cars fired up. Just by the way they were lined up, Hayato was going to be last. He didn't seem too worried though and followed the others out of Pit Row. The moment they hit the track, all of them floored it and took off. Osamu turned his attention back to the monitors.

They'd already cleared two corners and Hayato was tucked up neatly behind the Direct car. He could tell right away that the other crews were a bit shocked that Hayato was staying right with them. The others stayed calm for two laps before the steady pressure started to take its' toll. He knew firsthand what kind of presence Hayato had on the track. Four laps in, both of his drivers were working together to try and force Hayato off the track. He could feel it in his bones. It was coming.

“Mr. Sugo?” Dr. Torrin called out, gesturing at the screen.

Osamu felt the corners of his lips curl up in satisfaction. Hayato was in Zero. It took less than three minutes before Hayato spotted a mistake and grabbed it. He drove hard to the inside and drifted, letting his car hug the corner bumper. By the time they exited the corner, he was side by side the Inc. car which was in the lead, and the Direct car was now behind him.

“He's going too fast!” Williams suddenly called out to him in concern.

“He's fine.” Osamu said. “Just watch.”

The Zip car started to brake as Hayato used his inertia and some braking to change the car's heading. Now that he was pointed in the right direction, he floored it and his car leaped forward. The Zip car fell into line behind him and Osamu was more than pleased to hear absolute silence behind him as the crews all watched. There was nothing but open track ahead of him now, so Hayato shifted gears and opened it up.

The monitor showing his car was running the car stats on the side as a scroll. Every indicator showed that Hayato was pushing his car hard and running at 98% efficiency. All of his instruments were hovering just below the red zone as he blew by them doing 327 km/h. He called them in at the half hour mark and was waiting for Hayato when he parked. 

Dr. Torrin was already there and handing him his next drink which Hayato chugged down quickly. Pei finished gassing him as the Doc nodded and backed away. Hayato was gone again in a few seconds. The other two drivers made it in after he was back on the track. He could see the Crew Chiefs eyeing him but just waved them back out.

Hayato lapped them ten minutes later and Osamu nodded, finally satisfied. “Call him in, Shinsuke.”

“You got it, boss!” Shinsuke said, activating the comm. “Bring it in, Hayato. The boss said you're done.”

Hayato was pulling back in less than a minute later and Osamu held up a hand. “Just wait, Hayato.” He nudged Dr. Torrin. “Go tell him to stay in Zero please.”

Dr. Torrin nodded and hurried over to Hayato. Two minutes later, both of his F-1 drivers came in and parked. Osamu waited until they got out of the cars before he called them all together. He spent a few minutes just studying his teams and trying to decide if the lesson had sunk in. He finally spoke.

“What did you learn today?”

“That I'm not good enough.” Paulson said sullenly.

Osamu sighed as Richards nodded. “No, what you SHOULD have learned today is that you have to improve. Do you think that Hayato started out driving like that?”

No one spoke but heads slowly started shaking 'no'.

“Exactly. It takes tremendous, mind-bending focus to drive like Hayato. The toll it used to take on him was terrible. By the end of the race, he'd be so exhausted that he almost couldn't get out of the damn car.” Osamu snapped. “He never gave up and decided that he wasn't good enough. He WORKED for it.”

Richards' eyes were finally starting to brighten as he nodded in acknowledgment. 

“All of you can be as good as you can be if you work at it too. I can tell you that intense focus is what separates the winners from the losers. I chose all of you because I saw something in each of you. But now I'm telling you that I'm sick of losing.”

They all winced collectively and Osamu crossed his arms. “I am telling you right now that the rules I implemented will be put into place immediately. As you can see from Hayato, the increased endurance combined with the nutritional shakes provides the energy he needs to sustain that focus over long stretches of time. The same program will work for you, but you have to want it.”

He waited a moment. “YOU have to want it. Each and every one of you. Will you all ever be as good as Hayato Kazami?” He shrugged. “Who knows? Like I said, he's the best damn driver I have ever seen and it's because he hates to lose. He doesn't accept it. He doesn't tell everyone that he can't do better. He actively works to MAKE himself better and I'm here to tell all of you that the same dedication to racing is now expected from all of you. I'm surprised that I'm having to tell career racers this, but perhaps all of you have gotten comfortable in your niche.”

“Those days are over. Dr. Toshihiko will provide the meal plan for the drivers and it WILL be followed. Crew Chiefs? I fully expect you to listen to what the Doctor needs of you and follow his directions. It will take several weeks to work out the individualized plans for your drivers and you're going to back Dr. Toshihiko 100%.”

“Understood, Mr. Sugo.” They both said in unison.

Osamu was glad to see that their earlier defiance had melted into... eagerness. There was a light in their eyes that he hadn't seen there in far too damn long. “Now, how about all of you go and introduce yourself properly to the Doctor? He's the one that's going to make things better around here. That and the cook I've hired to supply the drivers with their meals.”

“Yes, sir!” They chorused.

“Williams?” Osamu asked as the Chief started to walk by.

“Yes, boss?”

“Feel free to reset your backup car as needed. My demonstration is over.” Osamu told him.

Williams suddenly grinned, lighting his face up. “Oh, I'd imagine that we'll get around to it but first thing is to get my crew on it. I want to see every single setting they changed. Kazami blew the track record off the map today and he's never even driven F-1. I want to learn everything I can from him.”

Osamu couldn't help but smile back. “You're learning.”

Williams tossed him a jaunty salute before heading over to the crowd around Dr. Toshihiko. Osamu walked over to Hayato who was patiently waiting in the car. “Pei? Shinsuke? Leave the car. They want to review your settings and they'll set it back when they're done.”

They both nodded and started packing up their stuff.

“Dr. Torrin? We're done here. Do you want to check Hayato over before we go?”

Dr. Torrin nodded and brought over his laptop. “He's still in Zero, sir.”

“Good. I wanted to see if he could hold it even when sitting idle.” Osamu said. “You can let go now, Hayato.”

Hayato sighed and finally relaxed, letting go of the steering wheel and flexing his hands a few times. He finally unbuckled himself and stood up, a bit unsteady for a second before Osamu caught his arm and held him.

“Thanks.” Hayato said, his voice only a bit flat now as he climbed out and straightened up. 

Dr. Torrin walked around the car as Hayato pulled his helmet off and patiently followed his directions as the Doc walked him through the basic checks to make sure he was out of Zero and uninjured. Pei and Shinsuke soon joined them, holding their gear and Dr. Torrin's cooler.

“Did we miss anything, Doc?” Shinsuke asked.

Torrin shook his head. “My laptop is the only other thing I brought and I'll get it. Hayato is fine.”

“Pack it up, Doc. Let's head back. I've made Hayato miss his lunch and all of you as well. I won't need to check back in here for a week or so, although I'd expect that you're going to be getting a lot of phone calls from Dr. Toshihiko.”

Dr. Torrin nodded. “I told him it was fine. I might not be able to answer right away, but I'll always call him back.”

“Excellent work today.” Osamu told all of them. “Let's head back. The van should still be waiting, along with Security.”

Hayato frowned. “We don't get to meet all of them?”

Osamu shook his head. “You all are now the goal they're going to strive for. They're not going to want to be friends. They're now your rivals and are out to prove that they can do better.”

Hayato's brow furrowed. “I don't even know them!”

“Exactly. You're a mystery and it adds to their desire to work harder. The whole length of Pit Row was watching today, Hayato. I think it's safe to say that you now have the entire F-1 circuit thinking of you as a rival.”

Hayato grimaced and grabbed his helmet in his hand. Osamu got his team together and herded them to the doors. Hayato didn't know it yet, but his legend just grew by leaps and bounds today. There would be no friends other than the crew on the CF circuit. It was another thing that Hayato would have to adjust to as he had known the old drivers.

Even Pei and Shinsuke had been getting glares from the other crews as they worked. There was no mistaking that both of them now wore a line of 'world champion' patches down their uniform sleeves as well. One for each year they worked on the winning team.

 

“Man, I'm glad it's you and not me!” Pei said cheerfully. “I'd rather stay here with the car.”

Osamu pulled on his team uniform as he listened to Hayato banter with Pei and Seki.

“It's the price I have to pay if I want to drive fast!” Hayato told him. “Not really much fun, but wow... It's worth it to come out of a high-G turn and listen to the roar of the wind as we fly!”

“It's amazing to watch, Mr. Kazami!” Seki told him, awe evident in his voice. “I wouldn't want to drive that fast though. I freak out in rush hour traffic!”

Hayato and Pei laughed. Osamu found himself smiling too as he stood up and tucked his shirt in. Hayato had already gotten dressed in his driving suit and was just waiting on him. He'd been held up with business and now they were going to have to hurry to make the official CFRA Press Briefing. Today was the day that the teams would all announce this season's drivers. It used to be that each team owner or crew chief would show up with their driver for it. Ever since the Aoi Protocol though, it was only ever the owner. Claytor had gone once and he'd not made him go back again.

Hayato was made of sterner stuff and judging by the crowds that followed them absolutely everywhere, he was the one that the Press would want to talk to.

“Ready to go?” He asked, pulling his sunglasses out of his pocket and slipping them on. He checked his pocket to make sure he had his keys and his wallet as well.

“Waiting on you, Osamu!” Hayato called back.

Osamu stepped out of the room they'd been using as their changing room in the garage as the bathroom was far too tiny to use for it. Hayato was dressed in the white driving suit with the Sugo Racing emblem on the front. The entire suit had been cleaned again and was so white now that it almost hurt to look at. His helmet matched, being white with only the accents done in Sugo colors. 

Hayato already had his sunglasses on and looked like a damn model. It was no wonder that his fan base was so enormous. How many drivers had his level of skill and also his looks? Osamu shook his head at his wandering thoughts.

“I've got the chopper waiting on us out next to the Transport.”

Hayato nodded and waved at Pei and Seki. “See you guys later! We're off!”

Pei laughed. “Have fun! Don't let the other teams freak you out with their creepy ass drivers!”

Hayato frowned at Pei's words but Osamu took him by the arm and steered him towards the exit.

“You won't see any other drivers tonight. Ever since the Protocol was approved, the other teams quit bringing their drivers. They look like hell, that's why. None of them want to show the face of what their drugs do to a person.” Osamu said, pushing the door open and nodding to their Security that fell into step around them. “Claytor went with me to the first one after the Protocol was implemented and wouldn't go again.”

“Hey, why am I having to go them?” Hayato asked indignantly. “I could have actually had an afternoon off!”

“You're going because you're a damn sight better than Claytor, Hayato. And besides, you're going to be the one that they all want to talk to.” Osamu picked up the pace when he checked his watch. “You're selling out Fujioka for nothing but your practice runs!”

“I don't know why though. It was never like this before.” Hayato told him as they hurried to the chopper. It fired up as soon as they were spotted and the co-pilot jumped out to open the door for them.

“Good day, Mr. Sugo! Mr. Kazami! We're ready whenever you are.”

“As soon as we're all in and buckled up, go ahead and go. I've got us running a bit late.” Osamu told them as he climbed in behind Hayato. Their six person Security team climbed in behind them and filled up the rest of the seating. The co-pilot shut and locked the door before jumping into his seat and they were in the air a minute later.

The lights of Tokyo were off in the distance but they were headed for the CFRA Headquarters which was only about a thirty minute flight by air. Hayato had put his helmet in his lap but his head was resting against the back of the seat as he stared up at the ceiling. 

“Hayato?” Osamu asked and Hayato turned his head to look at him. “I would imagine that this is going to turn out like practice days, so don't be startled if you're barraged by questions. Director Vance will be there and he has assured me that he'll keep it under control.”

Hayato nodded.

“Don't answer anything you don't want to, okay? If it's like it used to be, they're going to ask all kinds of personal questions and I'm sure that Asuka will come up.” Osamu met his eyes seriously. “Tell them straight out that you won't talk about her and I'll make sure that it's followed if that's what you want. The Press will all be pushing for an exclusive.”

“I got it, Osamu. Thankfully, I've done these things before. It would really suck if I didn't already know how bad it can get.” Hayato told him.

The chopper started on its approach to the landing pad at the CFRA then, so Osamu stopped talking. Hayato was right. He'd done this same dog and pony show for ten years. It was different now, but the Press was still the Press. The chopper touched down and the co-pilot jumped out and opened the door for them. That's when he could hear the noise.

“Looks like everyone was waiting on you, sir!” The co-pilot yelled to be heard over the chopper and the crowd that stretched out as far as he could see. “That crowd wraps all the way around the building and covers the parking lot, too. Might be even farther! Don't know what all of them think they're going to see out here.”

Security jumped out first and Osamu waited for their all clear before he climbed out himself. He made Hayato come out last, which was a good thing as the crowd suddenly ROARED when they saw Hayato. People surged against the chain link fence holding them back and the strobe of camera flashes was almost blinding, even in the late afternoon sun.

“What in the world...?” Hayato asked from next to him. “I've never had this kind of fan base, Osamu!”

“Yeah, they've seen Cyber Formula without you in it, Hayato. Now they know what they're missing.” Osamu told him, putting his hand on his shoulder and steering him towards the concrete walk to the building. The chopper would wait off-site for his call and then return to pick them up. Seeing that crowd, he was damn glad that he'd chosen not to drive over here.

He kept Hayato close as they walked inside the square formed by their Guards. People lined both sides of the walk and it looked like all of them were snapping pics or filming. They were packed in every available inch of space out here and it was all he could do not to grimace. There was no way he could keep Hayato secured in this kind of crowd. Any one of those people could have a gun, dammit!

Hayato made sure to smile and wave as they walked to the building and the noise from the crowd was deafening. He couldn't hear a single thing over the sheer volume coming from Hayato's fans and was grateful when they reached the doors and could go inside. It was somewhat quieter but even the building couldn't keep out that level of noise.

A young woman in a business suit came hurrying up, texting on her phone.

“Thank goodness! Director Vance has held the Press briefing off until you arrived.” She said. “This way please!”

She spun on her high heels after giving Hayato a discrete once over and led the way with an extra swish in her hips. They were led down a narrow hall and into the rooms directly behind the Briefing Room.

“Wait here a moment and let me make sure they're ready for you to come out.” Their guide said before hurrying off.

“I think I might have gone deaf.” Hayato said in the quiet. “The Director should have said that noise protection was required at this thing.”

Osamu smiled a bit as amusement curled through him and he heard their Security chuckle. “Rather ironic considering how loud your day job is.”

“I KNOW, right?” Hayato asked with a bright grin.

Their guide came back and held the door open. “This way please. Director Vance said to come on out. He's got your chairs ready right in the middle.”

Osamu nodded and gestured for their Guards. “Straight down the hall, first door on the left should take us out onto the stage.”

“Thank you, sir.” 

He fell into step with Hayato as they walked in their group. Their guide was fluttering around on the edges but she didn't say anything else. CFRA Security was posted at the door and they opened it for them. The front pair of guards went through first and stationed themselves down front. The pair they were sandwiched with took station right behind their chairs and the last pair stood near the back of the stage.

He walked around the chairs on one side and Hayato on the other. Just like they used to, there was a low table in front where Hayato sat his helmet down, facing the reporters. He sat down next to Osamu and both of them ignored the cameras flashing. Director Vance walked out and stood behind the podium that was next to them and Osamu did his best to completely ignore the other team owners here. He had argued with them for years against allowing drugging into racing and been blown off. With luck, this year, they'd get to see what a real driver could do.

“Thank you for coming, Mr. Sugo, Mr. Kazami.” Director Vance said as the room suddenly got quiet. “You made it. I wasn't sure if you'd get here in time.”

“We made it.” Osamu said. “The place is pretty packed though.”

Vance suddenly grinned. “It is, isn't it? Nice change of pace over previous years.” He turned to the crowd of reporters. “See? I told all of you that they'd be here.”

The reports laughed but the cameras never stopped flashing.

“Now that it's five pm, let me get this started by introducing this year's Cyber Formula competitors.” Vance said.

Osamu listened quietly as Vance named off one team owner after another. Just as he'd thought, he was the only one that had brought a driver with him. The reporters all started clapping when his name was called but they all started cheering when Hayato was introduced. Hayato actually blushed in embarrassment and glanced over at him. Osamu raised an eyebrow to say 'I told you so'.

Vance finished up and laid his hands on the podium. “As usual, I'll open this up to questions now and before all of you start, let me make one thing clear right now. No personal questions will be allowed. If you start, I'll make sure you're escorted out and someone else can do the reporting, got it?”

A low murmur of disappointment rolled through the room and Vance snorted in amusement. “Just remember, you are all being broadcast live to the crowd outside on the monitors. Keep it clean, people!”

This time, there was a bit of laughter and Vance waved a hand. “Let's start with the questions then. You!” He said, pointing. “Go ahead.”

“Mr. Sugo, could you tell us why Sugo Racing continues to race unenhanced drivers?”

Osamu nodded. “It is our belief that racing should always be about skill and dedication. We're pushing the envelope this year to show the world that you don't need drugs to be competitive.”

Vance pointed again. “Black jacket!”

“Mr. Kazami! What brought you back to Cyber Formula Racing?”

Hayato smiled at him. “Osamu did. He needed someone to help get the car ready to run so I was volunteered. And then I remembered just how much I love speed.”

Everyone laughed and Vance called out another.

“Mr. Kazami, how do you feel about racing against Protocol drivers?”

“Well, I've already raced against Phil Fritz, so I'm expecting more of the same. Hopefully this time, the Al-Zard won't decide to lock onto the Asurada and do its best to destroy us.”

Reporters everywhere were scribbling out his answers as another one was called out.

“Mr. Kazami! How does it feel to return to racing without your wife?”

“Hey!” Vance growled out and gestured for Security.

“It's okay this once, Director.” Hayato told him. “Ma'am... I miss Asuka every single day, but... In my grief, I forgot that her family was grieving her just as strongly. Being around Osamu has reminded me that I still have family and no one loves racing as much as Osamu Sugo. Together, we're coping better than we were apart.” 

Quiet fell for a moment before Vance called another one.

“Mr. Kazami? Mr. Sugo? Have either of you ever thought about doing something like a calendar or perhaps a series of posters, for the fans? There isn't actually a lot out there for either of you and speaking for most of us here, you two are far too photogenic to not have a photo of.”

Hayato clapped a hand over his eyes in his embarrassment but Osamu smiled. 

“Last Friday was an all out Press day for us. Our PR department is preparing the pics for release as we speak. In fact, I think Director Vance will have some available on the CFRA site as well. Am I correct?”

“You are. They should be up by the end of the week and we'll start working on merchandising as quickly as possible. Either way, the new CFRA gear will be ready before our first race in Italy.” Vance said. “And you're right. These two make some damn fine front men for racing, don't they?”

The reporters laughed again but were nodding in agreement. What followed was two hours of grilling for Hayato. Everything from how did he like the new CFRA compression suits for driving to how the Asurada was doing in the new body. Osamu was asked a few things, but the public's fascination with Hayato still seemed to be going strong. None of the other team owners were asked anything at all and Osamu could see that they were getting pissed off.

Not exactly a good thing before the first race as it meant that the enemy of my enemy was my friend... Shit. The last thing they needed were the other teams conspiring together to take out Hayato.

 

Today was moving day. The new transport had arrived yesterday and Osamu had scheduled a day off for all of them so they could get everything shifted over. Dr. Torrin had been beyond delighted to have his own medbay, regardless of how small it was. He'd moved everything over this morning and his team had been helping him get everything put into place.

Pei and Seki had been moving all of the tools that they'd left in the transport to the new one as well. Everything had to be set up and anchored down so it wouldn't shift while in flight. Shinsuke and Jazz had gotten all of their stuff moved already and had been helping Pei and Seki all day. Hayato had moved his stuff earlier and was now moving Osamu's. 

He'd only gotten started when he wound up on the phone. He didn't trust many, but Hayato was safe and he didn't mind him handling his belongings. Ryuu was the one in charge of moving everything else from the kitchen to their tiny communal area where the entertainment center was set up. Security had bunk beds in a tiny room but at least it WAS a space. They hadn't had room on their old transport for any of them.

It was over an hour before he managed to get off the phone and shove it in his pocket. He stood up to go find Hayato and see what still needed to be moved when someone knocked and a familiar head poked around his door.

“Hey, Osamu? Director Vance is here.” Hayato said. “He's in the new transport. I think Ryuu was going to put him in the communal area.”

Osamu sighed. “Thank you. I'm sorry I haven't been much help.”

Hayato waved a hand. “It's fine. You've got a huge company to run, Osamu. Besides, it's not like we have much on the transport. There's no room.”

Osamu nodded. “Hopefully this will be quick and I can help.”

He left Hayato heading back into the bedroom and went to the new transport. The thing absolutely screamed money and he was rather astonished that his Father had sprung for such a high end model. The CF team hadn't won a championship in far too damn long. Security had both transports surrounded so he didn't have to worry as he walked to the new one.

“Director Vance?” He called out as soon as he was inside.

“In here, Sugo!” Vance called back in his deep voice.

Osamu headed right for the communal area and sure enough, Vance was sitting in the arm chair and sipping a cup of tea. He smiled at him when he walked in.

“Hope you don't mind me intruding. I didn't realize that all of you were changing transports.”

“Father decided we needed a bigger one to handle the extra security.” Osamu told him. “Is something wrong?”

Vance finished his tea and set the cup down on the low table. “No. The other teams are pissed off, but I'm trying to save this sport so I'll do what I have to do. Sugo? How soon are you planning to leave for Italy?”

“September 21.”

Vance winced. “Is there any way I can convince you to go earlier?”

Osamu's eyebrows shot up. “What?”

Vance leaned forward. “I'll be frank. The other track owners are getting downright pissy at Fujioka making so much money in the off season. I've had one conference call after another from all of them. They want Sugo to be in Italy immediately so that they can start scheduling open days for all of your practice runs like Fujioka has been doing. After each race, they want you to move to the next track immediately so that each track can maximize the money they can make.”

Osamu scoffed. “Please, Director. What's happened here is unbelievable to me, but we're also the home team. There won't be that kind of following at the other tracks.”

Vance nodded. “I told them you'd say that, so they got me some proof.” Vance grabbed up a file folder he'd had tucked next to him and held it out. “Proof. They're quite certain that they can get at least 80% capacity on all of your practice run days.”

Osamu frowned and took the folder before sitting down on the couch. It was thick and it took him a while to go through all of it. He finally finished it and snapped the folder closed before meeting Vance's eyes.

“What the hell is going on here?”

“People love greatness, Osamu Sugo. Hayato Kazami is one of the greats. Everyone wants to see him race and be able to say 'I was there. I saw him in person.' They also hate the Aoi Protocol and want to see the drugged up drivers go down hard. Kazami is damn easy on the eyes and so are you, son. It's like... a perfect storm of things that fell into place.” Vance told him.

“This...” Osamu said, tapping the folder. “This is a hell of a lot of pressure, Director. Far more than winning races which is hard enough.”

Vance nodded. “I know. If you'll agree to do it though, I'll make arrangements for them to handle security for you just like here in Fujioka. They all want live streaming from your Pit and for God's sake, get your merchandise finished up and out there before we have a riot! Websites keep crashing from all the traffic and people are getting antsy. They all want their damn posters and calendars and mugs and pictures and whatever the hell else you can think of to put your pictures on.”

Osamu pinched the bridge of his nose as he thought over everything that would have to be done before they could leave. He finally sighed.

“Tomorrow evening is the earliest I could possibly get us out of here. There's a lot that still has to be done.”

Vance suddenly grinned. “Tomorrow evening then! So I can tell Italy that you'll be there on Sep. 1?”

Osamu nodded. “If nothing goes wrong.”

“Good. Have your PR department contact them and let them know the exacts. I'm sure there will be a crowd waiting for you all to arrive.” Vance told him. “You'll call me if you need anything at all, right?”

“Of course, Director.” Osamu said, standing as Vance did.

“Good. I'll get out of the way then. Looks like all of you have a lot left to move.”

“We do.” Osamu said, walking the Director to the door.

“Have a safe trip, Sugo! I'll be over there in a couple of weeks but like I said, don't be afraid to call me if you need anything!” Vance told him as he walked down the ramp. “We're all counting on you.”

Osamu just nodded and Vance waved before he walked off towards a black limo that was waiting next to the fence. Hayato walked up, pulling an L-cart loaded with boxes. 

“Everything okay, Osamu?”

He looked at Hayato and nodded. “I'm afraid that I'm not going to be much help, Hayato. Our leave date for Italy just got bumped up to immediately. We need to be out of here by tomorrow.”

Hayato's jaw dropped open. “...What?”

Osamu nodded a bit grimly. “You heard me. Apparently we're making Fujioka too much money and the other tracks want a piece too.”

“No way! This is our home country and I think the crowds here are crazy. We'll never draw that kind of crowd in the other countries. It's completely different.”

“Oh, no. They've already gathered up all their facts and figures, Hayato. Vance agrees with them.”

“Man... We've still got a lot to move.” Hayato said, his eyes wide as he looked between the two transports.

“I know. PEI! SHINSUKE!” Osamu called out as he turned and headed back into the transport. “I need to talk to both of you!”

By seven pm the next evening, they were in the air and headed towards Italy. Absolutely everyone except for the pilots was exhausted as they'd all had to join in to get the Sugo garage in Pit Row emptied back out. They'd thought they had three more weeks and hadn't even started repacking everything back up. It had been a huge ordeal.

The transport was quiet now as the team had all elected to call it an early night. He'd asked Hayato to stay up though as he'd managed to sneak on a surprise for him. Hayato finally came wandering in, fresh out of the shower a little after seven and Osamu tossed him a bag.

“Those are for you. Doctor approved. The water on the table is yours also.” Osamu told him.

Hayato looked confused for a moment while he read the bag. His smile was bright then.

“Roasted almonds!”

“Yeah. Sorry, but popcorn just won't work on the meal plan so the almonds were the best I could do.” Osamu told him, hitting the button on the remote to start the movie. “I got this for you. I know you wanted to see it.”

The opening credits started to roll as Hayato wandered around the couch and sat down with him. He already had the bag open and offered him some. Amused, Osamu took a few. Hayato leaped to his feet and pointed at the TV when the title screen came on.

“YOU GOT IT!” He yelled in excitement. “You got it!”

Osamu smiled a bit smugly. “I did. You are watching a pre-release copy of the latest Marvel movie, 'Infinity Wars'.”

Hayato whooped and grabbed one of the throw cushions. He tossed it down next to him and dropped onto the couch, curling up with his head on the pillow.

“I owe you one for this, Osamu. I didn't think I'd get to see it until it came out on DVD.”

Osamu reached over and patted him on the shoulder. “You should have some perks, considering how much driving has limited your life, Hayato. The company was happy to help.”

“Awesome...”

A comfortable silence fell between them as they both enjoyed the very thing they'd been missing for so long. Company.

 

Osamu waited for Hayato on their first day of practice at Italy's 'Triumphant Spiral' Circuit. They'd landed and spent two days moving everything into the Pit and Pei and Shinsuke spent yesterday going over the Asurada with a fine toothed comb. Hayato had spent an hour with Dr. Torrin yesterday as well. He'd spent the afternoon with the Track Manager, making sure that he could live with what they wanted from them.

The transport pad here was just as gleaming white as the one in Fujioka which meant that sunglasses were still a requirement. The Pit walk here was more open and the crowds were kept farther back as well. Security had been happy to see it. They'd had to fly in the extra guards and put them up in a hotel. Unfortunately, Aoi, Aoi Zip, Sturozech, Davis Oil and Aero had all shown up yesterday. Highly unusual as most teams wouldn't arrive until the week of the race.

Today was the first day that Hayato would take the Asurada out. They were going to spend the first half of the day on nothing but test drives and getting the car set up how Hayato wanted it. If everything went well, after lunch, they'd try a few more laps at race speed. Italy's track was notoriously hard on tires. The Spiral in the name was because the track had three long, high speed straights, but the rest of the track was a series of high-G banked turns. It was a difficult track to drive on but the crowd loved it.

Hayato had driven on it before, so he wasn't expecting any real problems from it. Hayato finally came out of his room, already dressed in his suit and carrying his helmet as usual.

“Ready?” Osamu asked.

Hayato nodded. “Tell me that it's quieter out there than at Fujioka.”

“I haven't been out this morning yet, Hayato. I'd imagine that it will be though. The past few days haven't been bad.” Osamu told him. “It's still pretty nice outside, so it should be a good walk.”

Their guards were waiting for them at the door and Hayato greeted all of them by name. Osamu knew that Hayato had shown all of them the pre-release of Infinity Wars as well. It seemed to have cemented their friendship. The first set of guards slipped outside and a low roar of noise greeted them. Osamu raised an eyebrow and glanced at Hayato before stepping outside.

“Well, looks like they found us.” Hayato said from behind him. “Wow... I had no idea Cyber Formula was this popular.”

“It's not just Cyber Formula, Kazami.” Mike the Guard told him. “Look closer. They're all wearing Sugo gear.”

Hayato frowned and Osamu turned to look as well.

“Huh.” Hayato said. “I thought you said PR was complaining that they couldn't get it done faster.”

“I motivated them.” Osamu said. “I was tired of the endless calls from the Track Managers and the CFRA.”

Hayato tossed him a grin. “I've been on the receiving end of a few of your 'motivational' speeches. They're not fun.”

“You did some stupid, stupid things when you were younger, Hayato.” Osamu said archly. “I was just trying to keep you alive.”

“Oh? I know your backstory, don't forget! Don't talk about MY stupid acts!” Hayato said cheerfully.

“...Dammit.” 

Hayato laughed and Osamu nudged him on. “Let's go get to work.”

The crowd was farther away but just as loud. A lot of them had painted their faces in Sugo Racing colors and it seemed like ALL of them were screaming Hayato's name. Hayato didn't stop, but he did wave and smile at all of them a few times. The cameras flashing made him grateful for his sunglasses.

They cleared the Gate to Pit Row and managed to leave the crowd behind them. Their garage was already bustling

“Morning, Osamu! Hayato!” Pei and the others all called out.

“Morning, guys!” Hayato called back.

“Are we ready to go?” Osamu asked.

“Sure thing, boss.” Pei said. “Asurada checks out at 100%.”

“Excellent. I want the first half of the day doing nothing but steady runs as I want the Asurada set up for Hayato. Hayato, I'm not setting a lap count. Go out and try it out, come back in when you're ready and get Pei to change what needs to be done. We're not going to try anything at race speed until after lunch and that's ONLY if the Asurada is running the way Hayato wants it to.”

“You got it, boss!”

“Dr. Torrin? Are you ready as well?”

“I am, Mr. Sugo. Hayato has agreed to let me monitor him live during all practices and he'll run through the basic checklist with me at every break. It shouldn't be too bad right now. I'm more interested in how he feels once he gets up to race speed. There are a lot of high-G areas on this track.”

“There are. I'm glad that you and Hayato are getting along.”

Dr. Torrin smiled at him. “Kazami is one of the nicest people I've ever met.”

Osamu smiled back. “That he is. Open her up, Pei. Let's get started.”

Osamu's good mood did its' best to leave him when he saw the cameramen already sitting in their Pit area. The Track Manager was there, along with what were probably his I.T. people. He plastered his smile back on his face and walked over, offering his hand.

“Good morning.”

“Good morning, Mr. Sugo!” Mr. Plumeri said, smiling back. He was a bit on the short and plump side with thinning blond hair but seemed like a genuinely good man. He'd admitted to him already that he'd been afraid that this would be their last season if sales didn't pick way up. He regarded them as a gift straight from God.

“Are you ready for us to get started?” Osamu asked him. “We've got a lot to get done to get the car set up for Hayato.”

Mr. Plumeri nodded quickly. “We got here early this morning to get it all hooked up and tested. I just need you to tell me where I can tell the cameramen to stay at so they're out of your way but can still get a good shot in. We opened the gates this morning at 6am and I'm happy to say that we've already admitted just over 26,000 and it looks like several tens of thousands more that are waiting to get in. It should be a busy day.”

“We saw that they all had on Sugo gear this morning.” Osamu said. “I take it that your shipment arrived?”

Mr. Plumeri nodded quickly. “It came in yesterday afternoon, Mr. Sugo. We're already halfway through it although I've been assured that we'll have another shipment by Friday.”

“Good. We're going to be bringing out the Asurada and Hayato is here now. We're getting started.”

Mr. Plumeri nodded again and quickly started issuing orders to the cameramen who scurried into position. Osamu heard the crowd noise pick up as the monitors all went live and the noise rose into a low roar when the Asurada was pushed out. Pei and Seki had polished it until it gleamed in the sun. Shinsuke was helping to push while Jazz carried out their laptops. Dr. Torrin came out next, carrying his cooler filled with Hayato's drinks.

He started filling the small refrigerator they had and the crowd noise rose into the ground shaking kind of noise that was awe-inspiring as Hayato came walking out. Osamu had to admit that he made a striking figure in his white driving suit. His black hair gleamed in the sun and he wasn't ashamed to admit that Hayato was damn attractive.

The other Pits started to open up and heads popped out as the crews all started looking around to see what was going on. Osamu ignored all of them, and instead walked over to Hayato.

“I want you to focus on how the other cars drive today. You've seen it before with Phil, but...” He shook his head. “It's different and I don't know how else to describe it. Pay close attention.”

“Okay.” Hayato said, sitting his helmet on the Asurada and pulling his gloves on. “Anything else?”

Osamu shook his head. “Not yet. Just work on getting the car running the way you want it to.”

“Got it.” He said, tossing his sunglasses over onto Pei's toolbox. He grabbed his helmet and pulled it on as the crowd went wild. The noise level was insane and they both turned to look up at the stadium seats in front of Pit Row. The stands were already half full and people were pouring in. All of them were screaming Hayato's name in a deafening wall of sound.

“I still don't get it.” Hayato said. “I haven't raced in years. For all they know, I'll go out and finish last.”

Osamu barked out a laugh and shook his head. “No chance.”

Hayato turned to look at him and he could barely see his grin through the helmet. “You're right. I hate to lose.”

“Damn straight.” Osamu said. “We'll all be live on the comm if you need anything.”

Hayato nodded. “Alright.”

“Go on then. Anytime.”

Hayato put his hand on the Asurada and vaulted in. “Morning, Asurada!”

“Good morning, Hayato. It looks to be a good day to drive.”

“It does. It's been a while since we've driven on this track, Asurada. Let's go test it out. Pei looks like he wants to work today.”

“HEY!” Pei yelled, shaking his fist as Hayato laughed.

“We'll be back!” Hayato called out before closing and locking the canopy.

The crowd noise rose even higher when he did and Osamu had to grab his headphones with a wince when Hayato started the Asurada and the crowd went crazy. He listened in as Hayato did his comm check before putting the Asurada in gear and heading out. 

“Shinsuke? Make sure that Jazz keeps their announcer updated again.”

“Already on it, boss!” Shinsuke called back as he booted up their laptops.

The other teams had wandered out to see the Asurada as it went by. There was no mistaking the distinctive Sugo color and markings. Osamu walked over to the monitors to watch as Hayato took the Asurada out onto the track. It was obvious pretty quick that the car was too tight and Hayato brought it in after three pretty slow laps. He stayed in the Asurada as Pei and Seki just jacked it up and went to work.

Thirty minutes later, the Asurada was handling better and he was pretty sure that they'd be ready for faster trials after lunch.

“Mr. Sugo?”

Recognizing the voice of his Security Chief, Osamu turned around. The man had to get in close to be heard.

“Mr. Sugo, I have a Miki Jounouchi and a Naoki Shinjyo at the Gate and asking if they can get permission to enter.”

“Miki and Shinjyo?” Osamu asked, surprised.

His Chief nodded.

“Clear them for the day.”

“Yes, sir!” The man said before hurrying back off. 

Osamu couldn't blame him, it was deafeningly loud out here without ear protection. He slipped his back on.

“Pei?”

“Yeah, boss?”

“Miki and Shinjyo are here. I've cleared them for the day.”

Pei's face lit up and he nodded happily. “Shinsuke! Miki is here!”

“Really?” Shinsuke said, smiling as he looked up from his laptop.

“Main priority though is still the Asurada and Hayato. They can wait until lunch if needed.” Osamu reminded them and both men nodded quickly.

Hayato was back in the Pit for another adjustment and gone again before he finally spotted them. They were standing side by side and almost... hovering... at the edge of the garage, apparently not willing to walk on out. Probably because of the cameramen, come to think of it. He walked over and tapped Pei on the shoulder, gesturing.

“I'm going to go speak to them. Let me know if Hayato needs me for anything.” Osamu yelled as he leaned in.

Pei nodded and waved at the two of them. Miki finally waved back and Osamu walked around the tool boxes and up to the garage. Getting close, he could see the look of a gentle kind of desperation hanging around them. It took him a moment to realize that he couldn't place Shinjyo as a driver for any F-1 team. He walked up and offered his hand as he pulled his headphones off with the other.

“Miki. It's good to see you.”

She smiled, still looking pretty much the same as she had when she'd left Sugo Racing. “You look great, Osamu.”

“Thank you. You do as well.” He told her, offering his hand to Shinjyo. “Shinjyo. It's a pleasure.”

“Mr. Sugo.” Shinjyo said. “Thank you for letting us come and visit.”

“We were in racing withdrawal, I think.” Miki said. “When we heard that Hayato was here, we both wanted to come and see him.”

“He's running test laps so that Pei can get the Asurada set up right now.” Osamu said. “If everything goes well, we'll try some race speed runs after lunch.”

“Um... Why are there cameramen in the Pit?” Shinjyo asked.

“Because the whole damn world has gone crazy for Hayato. They had us show up early because all of the tracks want a piece of the pie. Fujioka was selling out crowds just to sit and watch Hayato run practice trials. Making a ton of money at it as well. They're hopeful that things will turn back around for them now as they were thinking they might have to shutter their doors after this season.” Osamu shook his head. “They're all praying that Hayato can pull this off and save Cyber Formula.”

“Save Cyber Formula?” Miki echoed in shock.

“Not really surprising, but no one wants to see drivers that are drugged. Ticket sales were down 53%.”

“53%?” They asked in unison and he couldn't help but smile a bit.

“That's right. They've got our schedule now and will open the track on any live practice days. It's crazy. The cameras are live streaming to the monitors for the crowd and Jazz is having to keep their announcers updated with what we're doing.”

“What about the other teams?” Shinjyo asked.

“What about them? All of them are using Protocol drivers and frankly, no one wants to see them.” Osamu said. “So what are you two doing now?”

Both of them flinched and Miki's eyes dropped to the ground. “Well, we're in between teams right now. That's why we had time to come and visit Hayato.”

Osamu crossed his arms and frowned. “How long have you been unemployed?”

Miki's shoulders sagged. “A year. We've picked up part time work here and there though.”

Osamu shook his head and reached out, touching her forehead right between the eyes with a finger. “You are a damn fine mechanic, Miki. Tell you what, I'll hire you on a probationary basis for now if you're interested.”

Miki blinked and her jaw dropped open as she gaped at him. He let his hand fall to his side and she swallowed hard.

“...Really?”

He nodded. “Everything hinges on whether Hayato can pull this off though. If he doesn't, I doubt there will BE a Cyber Formula Circuit to follow next year.”

They both nodded and Osamu gestured. “It's still Pei's team though. I'd be hiring you as an assistant so that you can refresh yourself on our car design. If things work out like I want them to, next year, we'll be running two CF teams and you can be the Chief Mechanic of the second one.”

Miki's eyes were getting big and she sniffed a couple of times before grabbing Shinjyo's arm. “Really?” She asked again, a bit of hope creeping into her voice.

He nodded. “Really. But you've got to work it out with Pei. I can't have any conflict on this team. I need Hayato to be worried about nothing besides winning races.”

Miki nodded quickly. “I'll do whatever Pei needs me to, Mr. Sugo!”

Osamu turned and stepped back outside. “Pei!”

Pei's head jerked up and he turned to look before hurrying over. “Yeah, boss?”

“I'm hiring Miki on as one of your assistants this season. If things work well, I'll let her be the Chief on my second CF team. For now though, she'd just be your assistant like Seki.” He said. “Do you think you can work with her without any trouble? As I just told her, I can't have any conflicts here as I want Hayato completely focused on driving.”

Pei's eyes got big but he nodded quickly. “Miki and I can get along, boss. No problem. She needs a chance to get used to the new chassis anyway if she's gonna run one next year.”

“That's what I thought. Can I get one of you to loan her some team coveralls for now? I'll have to get her uniforms ordered.”

“Yeah! Seki! Come over here a second!” Pei called out.

It took less than a minute for introductions to be made and Miki ran off with Seki to get coveralls. Pei returned out to the Pit to keep watch on Hayato.

“Shinjyo? Do you still want to drive?”

Shinjyo grimaced. “Yes, but I'm not good enough.”

“Well, I'll offer you probationary work as well then. Anyone that drives for me now has to agree to be monitored by the doctor and follow a damn strict diet and exercise plan. We're overcoming the gap by using nutrition, Shinjyo. Do you think you could do it?” Osamu asked him.

“Diet and exercise?”

Osamu nodded. “It's tough. Hayato runs fifteen miles in the morning and spends ninety minutes in the gym six days a week. He can't eat anything at all that's not approved by the Doc either. Do you have that kind of discipline?”

Shinjyo nodded jerkily. “It's more than I usually do, but I'm willing to increase, Mr. Sugo.”

Osamu nodded. “You'd have to. No excuses on my team. Now, my second question... Have you ever experienced the Zero Zone?”

Shinjyo looked stunned but he nodded after a few seconds. “Yes, sir. Never for more than a few seconds. It scared me badly. Kaga was the one that told me what it was.”

Osamu folded his arms across his chest as he studied Shinjyo. “No, ifs, ands, buts or maybes here. This condition is non-negotiable to me. If you want to try for the position of driver for my second team, it is mandatory that you learn to use and access the Zero Zone at will. Before the next season, you would have to be able to consciously bring it up and stay in it, regardless of what's going on around you. The goal is to get you to the point you can stay in Zero for the entire race.”

Shinjyo looked a bit pale but his eyes were determined. “I don't know how to access it consciously, sir. It only ever happened during a race and it was brief.”

“That's for the Doctors and I to figure out. For right now, you'd have to get yourself into top shape and submit to medical testing. There's a ton of work to be done to determine how fast you metabolize sugars. We already know that one's critical. Do you think you have what it takes to do this? I really don't want to waste my time if you're not serious.”

Shinjyo quickly nodded. “I'm serious, sir! I want to race again.”

“Good. You'll have to sign an NDA though. Every single thing you learn with us here, including how to use Zero will be under it. I'll not have you take what we're learning here and use it against us.”

Shinjyo nodded again and Osamu could see him realize that meant he couldn't transfer to a different team that would compete against them. Miki would be working for them though, so it was doubtful that he wanted to.

“I'll have the paperwork ready by the end of the day for both Miki and yourself. For now, check the lockers. There are some spare uniforms in them. Change into one and we'll order you both uniforms tonight when we do the paperwork.”

“Yes, sir. What exactly will I be doing though besides following the Doctor's orders?”

“Whatever I need you to. Right now, that's probably going to be helping me manage the three-ring circus that our practice trials have turned into.” Osamu told him.

Shinjyo finally smiled and nodded quickly. “Thank you, sir.”

“Come and meet me out in the Pit once you're in uniform.”

“Yes, sir!”

Both Miki and Shinjyo were in the Pit in under ten minutes. Miki was following Pei and listening in as he talked to her about the car. Shinjyo had taken over Jazz's duties and was keeping the track informed of what they were doing. Just as he'd thought, Hayato was satisfied with the car by lunch and they stopped for an hour.

Osamu stationed guards all the way around their Pit, still doing his best to ignore the fact that Aoi was on their left. He'd caught a few glimpses of the asshole, heir-in-chief to the Aoi Empire, Koyasu Aoi. He honestly preferred the days of Kyoko Aoi, himself. That woman had been tough, but she'd been honest.

Hayato was busy hugging Miki by the time he'd caught up to them and Shinjyo was telling him about his job. He could tell by the worried look on the man's face that he thought Hayato wouldn't be happy. Of course, the man had only ever faced Hayato on the track and never worked with him. Just as he'd thought, Hayato had smiled and shook Shinjyo's hand.

“Congratulations then! At least the gym is big enough now to handle all of us in it.” Hayato said.

“All of us?” Shinjyo asked.

Hayato nodded. “Osamu works out with me every day. It helps to keep me from getting bored.”

“I was spending way too much time behind a desk.” Osamu said as he fell into step with them. 

As usual, Ryuu had brought their lunch down and set it up in the back of the garage. Osamu was thankful that he'd remembered to tell the man to bring enough for Shinjyo and Miki, too. Hayato and the others kept the conversation going while they ate as they prodded Miki for information on everything she'd been doing. He could see the slow realization in Shinjyo's face that Miki had a long history with Sugo Racing. He was happy to see that look settle into determination by the time lunch ended.

“Alright, everyone. We're going to start running some laps at race speed this time. Doc? I want Hayato monitored closely as this track is stressful in different ways from Fujioka. Ten lap runs to start and once everything is checking out, we'll go up to twenty lap runs until I'm satisfied that we're getting there.” Osamu told them.

“Yes, sir!”

“Hayato, Aoi will have both cars out after lunch. They shouldn't do anything but... Keep your eyes open.”

“Will do, Osamu.” Hayato said as he stood up and grabbed his gloves and helmet.

“Everybody else, time to get to work!”

“Yes, sir!” They chorused and headed back out.

Just as he'd thought, Aoi fielded both cars before they got the Asurada out. Unfortunately, just as he'd also thought, Aoi completely disregarded the rules and both of them dropped low on the track and blocked Hayato. He'd had a damn fine run going too.

“What are they doing?” Shinjyo snapped out. “This is practice!”

“They're assholes.” Pei said. “Claytor never could get anywhere because of it.”

Osamu let their chatter fill in the background as he kept his gaze on Hayato. All of his plans depended on whether or not Hayato could overcome the Protocol drivers. By the time Hayato came in for his first stop, he'd been stuck behind Aoi for eight laps. The doctor was there as soon as the canopy opened up and Osamu waited until they'd finished their checks before walking over.

“Hayato?”

“Yeah?” Hayato said, his voice had that distant sound that he'd grown used to hearing.

“You're still focusing?”

“...Yeah.”

He crouched down next to the Asurada and leaned in a bit. “Can you not get around Aoi?”

Hayato paused before blinking slowly, life creeping into his eyes. Apparently his words had managed to startle him out of Zero.

“Not get around them?” Hayato echoed in confusion.

“That's right.”

Hayato took a deep breath and shook his head. “There's something wrong about the way they're driving, Osamu. Asurada and I are watching them.”

Osamu nodded slowly, well aware of how creepy Protocol drivers drove compared to normal humans. “I'll give you five more laps but then I want the race speed laps we're scheduled for. Got it?”

Hayato nodded quickly. “Can you ask Shinsuke for me if he can get me the videos of the last two years of CF races? Asurada and I want to watch them. There's something there...”

“I'll tell him, Hayato.” Osamu said, standing up and backing away. “Get busy. We need the data for your doctor.”

“Sure thing, Osamu!” Hayato said, closing the canopy.

Osamu walked back to the monitors as Hayato pulled out of Pit Row again. He was stuck behind the Aoi cars almost immediately. Now that he knew what Hayato was doing, it was easy to tell that he was studying them. Two laps down, Pei scooted into place next to him.

“Can he not get by them, boss?” Pei asked, making sure to lean in so that his words wouldn't carry.

Osamu frowned as he looked at Pei, surprised to see the sadness on his face. Then he could have slapped himself as he hadn't thought about how this would look to the crew. Hayato had done outstanding at Fujioka and the first time he was up against the Protocol drivers, he was stuck. Well, they'd find out today. He smiled and leaned in closer, keeping his voice down also. 

“I told him he could have five more laps to study them, Pei. He's got two more to go before he'll pick it up.” 

Pei's eyes widened and he searched his face quickly before a smile exploded across his face and he nodded frantically. “I'll let the others know, boss.”

“Quietly.”

“Sure thing!” Pei said.

“Could you ask Shinsuke to come over here? Hayato had a request.”

“Yeah!” Pei said, hurrying off.

Osamu soon had Shinsuke filled in on what Hayato wanted and turned his attention back to the monitors. The crowd was actually getting quiet as Hayato kept driving, stuck behind the Aoi cars. When the fifth lap was finished, Osamu activated his comm.

“Hayato. Time's up. Get to work!” He called out.

“Got it...” Hayato answered, his voice flat from being in Zero. 

It only took two more corners before Hayato squeezed between both Aoi cars and punched it. The Asurada leaped forward as Hayato drifted the sharper corner before hitting the longest high-G spiral here and when he activated the Boost system, the crowd went nuts. Osamu had gotten rather used to the deafening noise from Fujioka, but Shinjyo and Miki both looked stunned. Even more importantly, the other teams were shocked. He could see that they'd all stopped to look up at the mass of Sugo colored fans that filled the stadiums.

Hayato flew out of the spiral and into the longest straightaway, still in Boost. He topped out at 875 km/h before he shut the Boost off. Only moments later, he had to activate the air brakes to slow as he drifted the Asurada through the next corner. He had to admit that it was damn exciting to watch and from the noise level of the crowd, they loved it. He flew by them in the Pits 21.2 seconds later with his speed clocking in at 527 km/h. 

The crew all whooped when they saw the time recorded. Hayato was only .3 seconds over the track record and he'd been stuck behind Aoi for part of it. The Aoi cars weren't able to keep up and were steadily falling behind. Open track stretched out in front of Hayato now and he watched in satisfaction at the numbers Hayato was pulling in. His second lap at race speed had him at 1.8 seconds under the track record and the crowd exploded with joy when the time was displayed on the screen.

His next three laps came in at 2.1, 2.4, and 3.7 seconds under the track record respectively. Hayato brought the car in as instructed then and parked it. The canopy opened up and Hayato gestured.

“Pei! The car is pulling hard left on all the high-G turns. Asurada's got the data.” Hayato called out.

Just like that, his mechanics all scurried forward and Hayato got out as they jacked the car up and set back to work on it. Hayato pulled his helmet off and Osamu walked over as Hayato trotted up to Shinsuke.

“Shinsuke! I have a question.” Hayato asked.

“What is it, Hayato?”

“Can Cyber Formula A.I.s be networked?” Hayato asked.

Osamu raised an eyebrow but Shinsuke looked startled.

“I... I guess they could. Both units would have to have the software installed for it, but they're already capable of broadcasting as we all monitor them here at Pit Row.” He said. “Why?”

Hayato frowned. “I'm not sure yet. That's why I want the videos.”

“But you think they might be.” Osamu said.

Hayato nodded. “It's one possibility that Asurada and I have come up with.”

“That would explain how they always work so well together.” Osamu said thoughtfully.

“It seems likely considering these drivers are new to CF and haven't worked together before. Seamless cooperation only comes with practice, which they don't have. Asurada told me that both Aoi drivers are new this year.”

“They are.” Osamu said a bit grimly.

“Hayato!” Pei called out. “Asurada's ready!”

“Coming!” Hayato called back and the cameramen rushed back out to start filming.

The afternoon was spent with Dr. Torrin collecting data on Hayato after each set of laps while Osamu mulled over Hayato's words. He shut them down by 3 and they had everything put away for the day by 3:30. The garage was surrounded by Security and would be, 24/7. They were taking no chances.

Miki and Shinjyo both got to experience their first walk back surrounded by a few ten thousands of Hayato's closest fans. It was deafening as all of them were screaming Hayato's name. Hayato was quiet through his workout and dinner both, grabbing his laptop and plugging his phone in to it as soon as they were done.

It was Hayato's personal time though, so he left him to it.

 

Friday evening, Osamu finished up some more of his never ending work and decided to get up and get something to drink. Opening his door, he found Hayato still awake. His eyes were glued to his laptop screen and he was filling a notebook with writing while never looking down. That intense focus told him right away what was going on. Hayato was in Zero. A glance at the clock showed him that it was nearly 1am.

Frowning, he walked over and laid his hand on Hayato's shoulder, squeezing gently. “Hayato.”

“...Yeah?” Hayato answered in the flat voice he knew so well.

“Stop right now please. Talk to me.” Osamu said quietly.

The pen slowed and finally stopped. It took Hayato about thirty seconds to come out of Zero and when he did, he flexed his fingers with a grimace.

“Osamu?”

He nodded and pulled over another chair to sit down beside him. “What's going on? You can't keep shorting yourself on sleep and expect to do well.”

Hayato frowned before he turned the laptop towards him. “I found it. The pattern.”

“Pattern?” Osamu asked, arching an eyebrow.

“Yeah. It only starts when the two Aoi cars are within two car lengths of each other. When it does though, it always starts here.” Hayato said, flipping the notebook back to the beginning and tapping the page. “This is the opening move and then it runs through the sequences in order. Every single time. Seventeen different repetitions that are always run in the same order.”

Osamu could see that the notebook was filled with tiny drawings, representing car positions. Hayato tapped the first page. 

“First set – 19 moves.” He turned the page and pointed to the third page. “Second set – 21 moves.” He kept flipping pages and showing him where each set started and stopped. “If the pattern is interrupted, it always restarts back to the beginning.”

Hayato met his gaze. “This is what was bothering me, Osamu. Every time I got the Aoi cars apart, the moment they'd come close enough, the same moves repeated, over and over.” Hayato told him. “They've got to have their A.I.s networked.”

Hayato ran the video back a bit before pointing. “Here's where it starts over. It only runs about halfway through the second set before they get too far apart. Watch.”

Osamu spent over an hour going over video with Hayato and was completely disgusted when they finished up.

“You're right, Hayato.” He finally said.

Hayato sighed. “The bad part is, we can't prove it. Shinsuke said they'd have to be caught in the act and the chances of that happening...? Not good.” 

Osamu ran a hand through his hair tiredly before nodding. “Either way, we have some evidence now. That's more than we had before.”

Hayato nodded. “And Asurada and I know their pattern. That should help in getting by them.”

“You think you can track the pattern while driving?” Osamu asked him in surprise.

Hayato shook his head. “No, but Asurada can.”

“He's correct, Osamu.” Asurada suddenly spoke from Hayato's laptop. “I can monitor the pattern progress easily and let Hayato know when an opening comes up.”

“So all this work wasn't exactly for nothing.” Hayato told him with a smile. 

“Will you leave this out for tomorrow, Hayato? I want Shinjyo to review it as well. I want to see if he can spot the pattern and if he can't I'll let him have access to your work here. If he's going to race for me, he's got to learn everything he can.”

“Sure, Osamu.” Hayato said with a yawn. “I'm off to bed though. Five am comes early.”

“I'd give you the day off tomorrow, but we've got to stick to the schedule we gave the track.” Osamu told him. “As it is, Sunday I expect you to catch up on your sleep.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Hayato said as he stood up. “Goodnight, Osamu. Goodnight, Asurada.”

“Goodnight, Hayato.” Asurada said from the laptop speakers. “You had best be off to bed as well, Osamu. Much is riding on your decisions.”

Osamu grimaced but nodded and stood up as well. “You're right, Asurada.” He said, forgetting all about getting a drink and heading back to his bedroom, his mind whirling with what he'd just found out.

 

Naoki Shinjyo waited in the Pit with the rest of the crew. The past couple of weeks had blown his mind as he saw how the Sugo Team ran things. Hayato was a force on the track. That much he already knew. But now...? He could see the benefits that Hayato was getting from the crazy seaweed drinks. Hayato had run one four hour run each week while the Doc recorded the data and made sure that the supplements were correct.

It took a lot of Hayato's time but he was finishing up the runs tired but not exhausted and his driving had never been sharper. Ever. Shinjyo had never seen anyone able to hang onto their focus so long. He knew now that Hayato could go into and out of Zero at will and he'd trained hard enough to be able to stay in it the entire race! 

The doctor had explained about the metabolic demands of such incredible focus and how they had to make sure to 'feed the brain' to sustain performance. Without a doubt, it worked. It was motivating as hell to see that kind of driving and he hadn't broken his meal plan or exercise plan once. Of course, seeing as Osamu Sugo was currently still outperforming him in the gym, that was another reason to work harder. Hayato he'd expected, but the boss...? That was humiliating.

The other teams though... It surely wasn't like the Cyber Formula he remembered. None of them respected the track rules when practicing and Hayato had spent the time dodging cars. He'd almost been hit several times by somebody trying their best to sideswipe him. It was only due to Hayato's sharp skills that both he and the car were still in top shape. There was none of the camaraderie that he remembered from his time in CF.

He sighed and picked up his headphones. Today, he'd be the Track Assistant while Pei, Seki and Miki did the maintenance and Shinsuke and Jazz took care of the AI. Dr. Torrin was already stocking up the small refrigerator next to the Pit and Security was tight. That had been another thing to get used to. They couldn't go out for walks or just sight see without guards. Osamu had explained the situation to him and well... How could he argue? Hayato was under even tighter guard as they had to have him finish well if they were going to be able to expand.

Thanks to all of the interference, Hayato was only starting in ninth today. He never could get a clean run as the other teams refused to give him the right of way for the time trials. That one WAS against track rules and he knew that Sugo had protested it loudly. Word had gotten back that the other teams had paid their fines without even seeming to care!

The low roar of the crowd suddenly increased into a deafening wall of sound and he looked over to see that Hayato was walking out of the garage with Sugo. Hayato looked completely calm- something that he envied. He'd always battled nerves, especially before a race like this. Sugo was talking to him quietly as the cameramen circled them. Shinjyo had no doubt that no one would be able to listen in. It was so loud that you'd probably have to stand right on top of them to hear.

Miki had fit right back into Sugo and it really brought home to him just how much she'd missed working here. Even odder to him was how much HE liked working with these people. Everything they did was honest and above-board. No one had underhanded dealings or asked him to do anything illegal. They'd only asked that he work hard towards getting ready for the next CF season and support Hayato for this one. It was weird, but... For the first time in way too damn long, he'd found a team that was actually worth being loyal to. This time, he wasn't going to screw it up.

“Time to go, Hayato!” Sugo called out.

He watched as Hayato climbed into the Asurada and they started going through the pre-race checklist. He felt the familiar rush of excitement when everyone started their engines and the cars were all carefully driven out of Pit Row and lined up on the track. When the flag fell and the cars all launched off the starting line, he had to consciously unclench his hands from his shirt as he'd grabbed hold at some point. He snorted at his own ridiculousness and carefully rubbed out the wrinkles he'd made.

Miki walked up next to him and covered the mike on her headphones with her hand as she leaned in. “You miss it?”

He smiled at the woman he loved and nodded. “You know I do.”

She smiled back. “For now, just enjoy watching Hayato race. It should be a good one.”

 

Osamu had to stop himself from grinding his teeth together AGAIN as Hayato was nearly run off the track by Aero. The other teams were careful to keep from outright fouling him, but Hayato was facing a combined assault from literally every single other car out there. They were two hours into the race and Hayato had managed to move up to fourth position. It was a damn hard fought battle though as he had to drive extremely aggressively to do it.

The Doctor stood next to him, looking concerned.

“How is he doing?” Osamu asked.

“As expected. Racing is indeed much, much harder physically than all of the practice runs except when he did the extreme push for speed for you. I think I'll still bump up his supplements for the next race though. Even with my help, he'll have been in Zero for more than four hours at the highest level of exertion. He's going to have to take two days off before I allow him to start back on his exercise plan.” Dr. Torrin said.

“Understood. This race has indeed been one of the worst I've seen.”

Osamu turned his attention back to the monitor when the crowd roared, just in time to see Hayato use drift to slip by the car in third. As soon as he cleared the corner, he opened up the Asurada and it leaped forward, rapidly leaving the third place Sturozech car behind. It took Hayato three full laps to close the gap to number one and two – Aoi and Aoi Zip, respectively.

Just as Hayato had already spotted, the moment he got close, both cars tightened up and started running through their set maneuver patterns. He'd studied them closely and knew the order well. There were several openings but all of them were small and a lot of it depended upon where on the track they were when the opening happened.

Hayato was pushing both Aoi cars hard though, driving aggressively and staying right on them. It was hard on him as they all knew now, but inside those cars were human drivers. If they had any control over the cars at all, there was a chance that Hayato's pressure could make them slip up and give him a bigger opening.

As the laps ticked by, Hayato continued to push hard. The lap times weren't anything special, but the crowd was getting into it now and it was getting harder and harder to hear anything over their noise. Hayato hadn't said anything for several laps either which was worrying. He made himself let out a slow breath as Hayato entered the main spiral and hit the Boost.

Both Aoi cars were still blocking him, but Hayato had put the Asurada's nose on the rear of the Aoi car. They blew out of the spiral and onto the straightaway and his heart leaped into his throat as Hayato made his move. Still under Boost, he went low on the track and nosed his way into the small opening in the corner. His outer wheels were sitting on the line as they straightened out and picked up speed. Going down the straightaway, all three cars were neck and neck.

Osamu started smiling as he knew then what was going to happen. All three cars shut off their Boost and both Aoi cars started hard braking for the sharp exit turn. Hayato used the air brakes only and soon shot in front of them as he was carrying so much more speed. The crowd was screaming when the Asurada hit the curb and bounced into the air. Asurada's downdraft fans kicked on, keeping them airborne as they simply leaped over the corner and landed on the track on the other side. 

He heard Hayato groan with the effort and smoke rolled off Asurada's tires as grip was restored and Hayato opened up the throttle. The track was open in front of him now and Hayato pushed it hard. He flew by them in Pit row going faster than any lap they'd run today. The monitor had it up at 562 km/h. Behind him, he could hear the team screaming their excitement and glanced back to see them cheering as Hayato started opening up the gap between himself and the pack.

“How are you doing, Hayato?” He asked over the comm.

There was the usual pause before Hayato answered. “Better now. That was driving me crazy.”

He laughed. “You're not the only one. The track's yours. See how many records you can break. We'll be getting ready for your next Pit.”

“Got it, boss.” Hayato said, in his Zero voice.

He turned to his crew. “Hayato's got the lead! Let's make sure we don't cause him to lose, people!”

“On it, boss!” Pei called back and everyone scurried around to get ready. Hayato was due to Pit in fifteen minutes or so.

By the time he came in, he'd opened up his lead to 13 seconds. Pei had the car ready in record time as Hayato chugged down his supplement, tossed it back, closed the canopy and was gone again.

Osamu could only watch as the last 35 laps went by and no one ever got close to Hayato. He crossed the finish line a whopping 34 seconds ahead of the next closest car, Aoi Zip. He also broke the track record by 9.2 seconds and set the record for the highest track speed recorded at 878 km/h. Hayato brought the Asurada into the Pit and parked. Osamu was there to offer him a hand on standing and the moment his feet touched the ground, Hayato was mobbed by the crew.

The ever present cameramen prowled around the edges, trying to get the best shot as they celebrated. Hayato finally got free of the crew and stood up, walking over to him and smiling. He offered his hand and Osamu took it, pulling him into a hug.

“You did it.” Osamu whispered. “I knew you could.”

“WE did it. It took all of us, Osamu. No one could do this alone.” Hayato said, his voice muffled from his face being buried in his chest.

“We've tried for years, Hayato. No luck. The difference here is you and the Asurada.” Osamu told him. Osamu squeezed a bit before he let him go. “Come on. Let's go through the checks and get you ready for the Winner's Circle.”

Hayato grinned back at him, one hand still holding his helmet. “Sure thing, Osamu. Then we celebrate by letting me sleep for a week, right?”

He couldn't help but laugh and shake his head. “Two days.”

Hayato whooped and pumped his fist in the air. “TWO DAYS! I'll take it!”

Behind him, the crew laughed and Osamu found himself at the center of a group hug this time.

It wasn't long before they had to get back to business. None other than Director Vance was there to hand out the trophies and Dr. Torrin oversaw the end of the race drug tests. Osamu wanted there to be no question that Sugo was running plain old human drivers.

It was well after nine pm before they had finished up and Osamu sent Hayato back to the transport. He'd be allowed to sleep through the next part. The rest of them had to load everything up tonight as they had to be in the air and heading towards Africa by dawn.

 

Osamu watched as the police hauled off the latest set of attempted saboteurs. Security had been doing their job well and this was the fourth set of people that they'd caught trying to break into the Sugo Pit. The Asurada was stored in there, along with several hundred thousand in tools, parts and equipment. That's why they had some of the best security around because the people they were catching weren't amateurs. To the last one too, they weren't talking.

“Same as previous, Samuel.” Osamu told his Security Chief. “Don't tell the crew. I need them focused on the next race.”

“Of course, Mr. Sugo.” Samuel said. “I've stepped up our patrols again as well. This bunch knew our schedule and they almost made it inside. I'll make sure that doesn't happen again.”

“Excellent.” Osamu said. “I'll report it to the CFRA again as well. Track Security here is supposed to be tighter but it's pretty much non-existent for us.”

“I haven't seen any of them around either, sir. Although my people tell me that the Aoi garages are quite well protected by them.”

Osamu nodded and pinched the bridge of his nose. “I'm so damn sick of corruption... The Safari Sands track is happily raking in money by having us perform for the crowds but they're also busy pocketing Aoi's money. I'll contact the Director again.”

“Is there anything extra you need from us today, sir?”

Osamu shook his head. “No. We've already covered the race schedules. The crew will be down within thirty minutes to start prepping for the race. Just make damn sure that Hayato is safe.”

Samuel nodded. “His team is already at the transport and waiting on him. I've also sent some people undercover in that monstrous crowd out there. The metal detectors here aren't being used all the time and I'm worried that some nut with a gun could be standing out there, ready to take a shot at him.”

“Me, too.” Osamu said grimly. “This is more like fighting a war than racing.”

“It's pretty bad, Mr. Sugo. We're doing our best to keep it from bothering your people though. All of us want to see Kazami win again. That was some damn fine driving.” Samuel said. “Now, I'll quit taking up your time, sir. I know you've still got a lot to get done.”

“Thank you.” Osamu said, pulling out his phone and walking up next to the Asurada. He had to call the Director and then he was calling the Track Manager. AGAIN. He would most definitely be filing a formal complaint about this. The complete disregard for their safety here was horrifying.

He was doing his best to walk off his anger after his last phone call when the crew came piling in. Their morale was through the roof after Hayato's win in Italy. They'd all done a group interview for the CFRA's official magazine and they'd done two more photo shoots with Hayato and the Asurada. All of that kept the crew busy, but it didn't help the track situation. Practice here had been a nightmare as soon as the other teams had shown up. And they'd shown up within three days of their arrival.

Normally, everyone would wait at least a week before transferring to the next track, but it was obvious that they'd all decided to do what they could to bother Sugo Racing in any way that they could. Track time was more like rush hour traffic out there as they all refused to clear the inner track for speed work – but only for Sugo. Once they left the track, it went back to normal operation. He was damn thankful that Hayato had the patience of a saint.

Nothing they'd thrown at him yet had gotten him worked up and they were still getting some excellent lap times in, even with Hayato having to weave his way around all the traffic. None of this slowed the crowd down either. Every single scheduled track day for Sugo was packed. He'd been told that they were averaging 100,000 fans on those days and the track ran like it was race day.

The only plus was that the crowd was obviously still all Sugo. They all sported Sugo Racing shirts, jackets, hats, bags, signs and pretty much everything else that could have their logo or Hayato and the Asurada on it. That part was working in their favor as the crowd noise always rose to deafening when Hayato was seen. The crowd chanted his name anytime he was out driving and it was pretty easy to see that it was pissing off the other teams. 

He felt nothing but grim amusement at their pain. It was about time that they felt at least a fraction of his pain as the formal channels weren't getting him anywhere. Osamu finally sighed and did his best to let go of the last of his anger. He had a race to run today and couldn't afford for the team to pick up on his mood or their troubles with saboteurs.

He walked over and sat down on a toolbox as he watched Pei and Miki banter. Seki was running back and forth, carrying tools for them both as they prepped the Asurada for today's race. Those two had fallen right back into their old routine and he was happy that it was working out. Shinjyo was outside, getting the cameramen into position and setting up the Pit for them. The Asurada would be rolled out as soon as Pei and the others finished it up.

Hayato showed up just as they rolled the Asurada out into the Pit and walked over to sit down next to him, leaning back against the wall.

“It's gonna be an ugly one today, boss.” Hayato said quietly.

Osamu sighed. “I know. You do your damnedest to stay safe out there, you got it?”

Hayato nodded. “Asurada and I have had a bad feeling about this race. He's already reloaded the Aoi pattern into memory, so we'll have it if we need to use it again. It's just... The other teams... I still haven't seen a single driver without their helmet on, Osamu. Is something wrong with them?”

“I don't know, Hayato. I've done everything I can to stay out of the whole Protocol mess. I do know that they have a new driver every year.”

“Damn...” Hayato whispered. “Why would anybody agree to do that?”

“They think it's a shortcut to fame, Hayato. They don't want to put in the hard work and the years of training and practice. They think that the drugs will make them a star.” Osamu told him. “Instead, they just... vanish... after the last race. The awards ceremony is attended only by the team owners anymore.”

Osamu patted him on the leg before he stood up. “Take your time and do what you can to get ready mentally. You've got a half hour before the Doctor needs you for final checks.”

Hayato nodded and slid off the tool box to head to the tiny room that only had a chair in it. It was a 'quiet' room that allowed Hayato to spend his time in silence and really get his focus on today's race. Osamu checked the time again and walked over to the garage door, leaning against the side as he watched his crew work. There was no goofing off today. No one wanted to be the one that let Hayato down by not having the car absolutely perfect.

Shinjyo was busy chewing out one of the cameramen that must have started filming early. Their agreement still stood that filming would only happen when Hayato was getting into or out of the Asurada and no other time. The rest of the time, they'd have to make do with the standard video coverage, just like normal. He was pleased to see that Samuel had indeed increased the Security presence, although the Aoi Pits were at the end of the Row on this track.

The rest of the morning seemed to fly by as everyone finished up their prep work. Dr. Torrin walked out with Hayato and as usual, the crowd noise exploded as the cameramen went live and started broadcasting to the monitors. He walked around the Asurada to Hayato who was putting on his gloves.

“How are you?” Osamu asked.

Hayato looked calm which was excellent and he even smiled a bit. “Good. I still think this race is going to be tough, but Asurada and I have done everything we can to get ready.”

“That's all I can ask, Hayato.” Osamu told him. “Stay safe.”

Hayato nodded and pulled his helmet on. “Let's win one.”

Osamu stepped back as Hayato climbed into the cockpit. He watched as Hayto buckled himself in before closing and locking the canopy. 

“Comm check!” Hayato called out.

“Loud and clear, Hayato!” Shinsuke answered.

“Let's go on out then.” Hayato said, starting the Asurada up. 

He blended in with the line of other cars as all of them trickled out onto the track to get into position for start. Hayato would start in seventh this time. He'd been blocked repeatedly during the time trials again but Aoi simply paid the fines and nothing changed. He would be campaigning strongly for some rule changes after this season.

Osamu had to focus to keep his breathing steady as the clock steadily ticked down the time to start. Everyone had seen that Hayato could outrun them now if they let him get the lead. He had a feeling this one was going to be a bigger battle than the last. He rested his hands on the track wall as the cars started up, his focus on the shining white of the Asurada.

When the flag fell, the whole track exploded into motion. He saw Hayato swerve immediately to avoid a sideswipe from Sturozech.

“Dammit!” He ground out, stepping back to watch the monitors as the cars spread out and picked up speed. There was nothing he could do now but wait and watch, just like everybody else. Now it was up to the Asurada and Hayato.

By the ninety minute mark, he'd filed four formal complaints against Aoi. They had been all out attacking Hayato every chance they got. It was only the Zero Zone that was allowing Hayato to stay ahead of the attacks. He was reduced to pacing and watching as Hayato dodged once more. This time, he used the gap to slip inside and pass. That one moved him into fourth place.

The crowd was chanting Hayato's name as he walked over to Dr. Torrin.

“How is he?”

Dr. Torrin looked worried. “He's already exhausted, Mr. Sugo. This has been unlike anything I've seen yet. We're already processing yet another round of supplements to be used for the next race, but all I have for now are the normal ones. It's going to be a challenge to see if he can hang onto Zero long enough to win.”

Osamu had to stop himself from grinding his teeth in frustration again as he nodded.

“Have faith. Hayato used to do this with no additional assistance at all.”

“I KNOW. I have no idea how he did it!” Dr. Torrin said, shaking his head.

Another roar from the crowd had him looking up in time to see Hayato drift past the Aoi car into third place. The pace was climbing steadily as the leaders kept pushing harder in the hope they could leave Hayato behind. It wasn't working though and he knew that there were several team owners out there sweating bullets. The formal complaints he'd filed would go against the teams that were guilty and it was going to cost them a lot more money than the fines they got from messing with the time trials.

Hayato was quiet now, only the Asurada was talking. The noise was an endless background drone any time Hayato spoke over the comm. It took Hayato seven more laps to close the distance up between himself and the two leaders but he finally was able to put the nose of the Asurada right on the Aoi car's ass.

Aero had the car running in second and so far, they hadn't done anything to foul Hayato, so hopefully they'd decided against doing something so damn dumb. Three laps later, all of them had to Pit but the crew was a well-oiled machine. Hayato had the fastest Pit stop today and moved into second place because of it.

The Aoi car only filled up and managed to get into third place, right behind Hayato. The Aero car slipped to fourth. Osamu folded his arms across his chest as his uneasy feeling grew. Hayato was sandwiched in between both Aoi cars now, dammit. They were just rounding the last curve into the straightaway in front of the Pits when the Aoi car made its move. It simply floored it and ran right into the rear of the Asurada.

Horror flooded through him as the Asurada promptly slid sideways. It felt like time slowed down as he watched the Asurada make a complete circle. Distantly, he was aware that the engine noise was changing and then the tires barked and barked again as they grabbed for pavement. His brain noticed the small details as the car spun right in front of them, the rear wing was raised now, which would provide additional downwards force and the car was changing to Air mode, while it spun.

After what felt like a million years, the Asurada finished its rotation, the tires all yelped in unison as they caught traction again and Hayato straightened the Asurada back out and activated the Boost. Horror flooded through him as there wasn't enough track left before he'd have to brake and brake hard. There was a series of four rather sharp turns right after the straight.

The monitor showed the steadily rising speed of the Asurada and it flew by the Aoi Zip car. The Aoi was smoking from colliding with the rear of the Asurada and was now limping its way into the Pits. The Aero car had never caught up and was now well behind. His heart leaped into his throat as the Asurada only braked slightly, shut the Boost off and clipped the first curb, bouncing into the air.

The downdraft fans kicked on as it flew over the first corner and landed on the track, still going way too damn fast. He couldn't even breathe as the Asurada repeated the maneuver on the second corner as well. But by the third corner, he was starting to believe. Hayato and the Asurada cleared the fourth corner the same way, landed on the short straightaway and he punched it, heading for the last turn to the main Bank going faster than any car he'd ever seen.

The Asurada screamed out of the long Banked turn and onto the long straightaway and Osamu had to read the screen twice to make sure he was seeing it correctly. The Asurada was currently pushing 895 km/h! At least this time, Hayato gave his heart a break and used the air brakes to slow before using his lifting turn to clear the exit. By now, his lead over the Aoi car had grown to 19 seconds and Hayato had nothing but clear track in front of him.

“Hayato? How are you and the Asurada?”

“...Busy.” Hayato finally answered. “One of the rear vents was damaged on impact and Asurada is managing the cooling system independently to keep us going.”

Osamu didn't like the way Hayato was panting as he spoke and he could see the crew was huddled up and listening in.

“Do you need to Pit?”

“...No. Seventeen laps to go. We're going to go for it. Eighty-seven point two percent chance that we'll make it.” Hayato panted out.

“You're well clear now, Hayato. No need to push it hard.” Osamu told him.

“...Got it, boss...”

As it turned out, Hayato not pushing it hard was still enough to drive the crowd into a frenzy. With every lap, Hayato's lead grew and the crowd got louder and louder. By the time the last lap came around, Hayato was far enough ahead that he entered the final stretch all by himself. The Asurada was smoking heavily by now, but the engine still sounded strong. It crossed over the finish line in a billowing cloud of smoke and Hayato immediately let off of it, letting it roll towards the Pits in a slow crawl.

Osamu watched as the crews for the other teams all gathered up next to the track wall, watching as the Asurada rolled by. Hayato parked the Asurada in their Pit and opened the canopy. Pei and the rest of the crew grabbed the fire extinguishers and ran around back to see what was going on. He just walked over to the cockpit and offered Hayato a hand.

“Come on, Champion. Let's get you to the Doctor for a quick check up and then we'll see about closing this race out.” Osamu told him. “Aoi is going to be paying some truly monstrous fines for today's race. I want them to savor the moment.”

Hayato nodded slowly and Osamu frowned, leaning in to unbuckle him before helping to lift him out. Dr. Torrin was there the moment he got Hayato's feet on the ground and between them, they got him over and into a chair while the crew worked on the Asurada. The camera crews were filming everything live as Dr. Torrin checked over Hayato.

The noise from the crowd was still so loud that they practically had to put their heads together and yell to be heard.

“He's exhausted. Completely. Two days off again and I'll re-evaluate at that time as to whether or not he can go back to his training at that point.” Dr. Torrin told him. “He's got some minor throat irritation from the smoke, but it's not bad and should clear up in a day or two.”

Relief flooded through Osamu and he nodded. “We just have to finish this up, Doctor. Then we'll send him back to the transport to get some sleep while we pack up.”

“Excellent. We'll have to keep a close watch on him. He's not going to want to collapse in front of everyone.”

Osamu nodded. “I'm on it.”

Even with all of their best efforts, it took over three hours to go through the trophy presentation and deal with all the Press. Director Vance was there once more and he was all smiles. Osamu gladly let him intercept the reporters and herded his crew back up. Hayato looked like he was about to fall asleep standing there and had put his sunglasses back on. Probably so no one would realize that his eyes were closed.

It was after nine pm that night before he was able to get Hayato to the transport. For the rest of them, the night was still young and they had a ton of work to get done.


End file.
